What happened

According to Dawn, significant internal conflict has emerged within the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following a failed protest march. The fallout from the demonstration led to the imposition of governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and created further difficulties for the party's jailed leader, Imran Khan. The dispute became public when Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur engaged in a hostile exchange on social media, accusing each other of undermining the party.

Key facts

  • Around 55 provincial lawmakers held an online meeting proposing to nominate Ali Amin Gandapur as the interim provincial president to replace MNA Junaid Akbar, who went missing after governor's rule was declared.
  • Secretary General Salman Akram Raja rejected the proposal, labeling internal critics as "snakes and serpents" and asserting that Ali Asghar remains the acting provincial head while Sohail Afridi remains Chief Minister.
  • Raja blamed the dissident group for breaking contact during the final days of the protest, which he claimed allowed state coercion and emergency measures to occur.
  • Ali Amin Gandapur strongly retaliated, demanding a public apology from Raja, questioning his sacrifices for the party, accusing him of hiding during the protest, and asking why top leaders skipped parliamentary meetings.
  • Other figures within the party, including MPA Mashal Yousafzai and an unnamed parliamentarian from Peshawar, have also called for accountability over the failed protest.
  • A similar public dispute occurred in 2025 between Gandapur and Aliya Hamza Malik, which had led Imran Khan to strictly forbid members from sharing internal disagreements on public platforms.

Why it matters

According to Dawn, the public row exposes deep fractures within PTI's core leadership as members demand structural changes to overcome the current political crisis. Specific details regarding any official resolution or upcoming party actions are not specified in the source; please check the official notice.

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Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 22, 2026 · Photo by Tanvir Khondokar on Unsplash