PTI alliance faces setback ahead of key rally in Mardan

ISLAMABAD: The rift between the PTI and the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain-e-Pakistan (TTAP) has deepened as Mahmood Khan Achakzai has rejected a formal invitation to attend a rally in Mardan on April 19.

Party sources and alliance officials say that Mahmood Khan Achakzai has expressed two major reservations: one is that holding rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become futile, and the other is that the alliance was not taken into confidence before announcing the rally.

According to sources, PTI provincial leader Atif Khan had contacted Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the alliance spokesperson and requested to attend, which was rejected.

A senior PTI official, commenting on the situation, said that Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s objection is valid as this is the third time that the opposition alliance has been sidelined in important decisions.

A faction within the party is holding the young leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa responsible for unilateral decisions, while the other faction has harshly criticized the central leadership, especially Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja, accusing them of running the party according to the will of the state and failing to get any relief for the founder of PTI.

In this situation, the internal differences of PTI became more bitter when some leaders described the officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as devoid of political understanding and expressed strong anger over the statements of leaders like Shahid Khattak.

On the other hand, PTI’s central spokesperson, Sheikh Waqas Akram, has admitted that there is a difference of opinion on some issues in the party, and a meeting will be called soon to address the concerns of the opposition alliance.

The current situation is that on the one hand, the KP Chief Minister’s group is aligned with Aleema Khan and adopting a hardline stance, while on the other hand, the central leadership is being accused of conciliation, which appears to be paralyzing the party’s overall strategy.