ISLAMABAD: Cracks have started bursting open in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) within days after the arrest of former premier Imran Khan, with party leaders calling each other “traitors” during a recent meeting.<\/p>\n
According to the sources, the core committee \u2014 PTI’s apex body headed by Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, running the affairs after Khan’s arrest \u2014 has divided into two groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rival groups exchanged harsh words during a meeting and declared each other traitors,\u201d the sources within PTI told a private news channel.<\/p>\n
The PTI leaders, they said, blamed each other for leaking details and recordings of core committee meetings.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome members of the body are of the opinion that serious matters cannot be discussed in the core committee meeting anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
A PTI leader confided to a private news channel that he would reveal the name of the traitor if PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub and Senator Shibli Faraz allow him to identify the person.<\/p>\n
\u201cA traitor is sitting right here, one of the leaders claimed during a meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prty sources claimed that the secretary-general was in constant contact with the member who declared him a traitor in the core committee, party sources said<\/p>\n
It has also been claimed that Omar Ayub and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are also vying to succeed the PTI chairman as the party chief.<\/p>\n
\u2018Traitors in PTI\u2019<\/p>\n
Earlier, PTI leader Sher Afzal Khan Marwat claimed that there are traitors in the core committee and Imran Khan`s legal team and they have put his life in danger. \u201cThe presence of the traitors in the PTI core committee is beyond any doubt. They have passed on recordings of the core committee meetings to the opponents and even to media persons,\u201d Marwat said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cShockingly, the Legal team’s Zoom meetings details\/recordings have been shared with outsiders, which has put my life and liberty in serious jeopardy. I have gone underground for the first time, and I may be caught by the designated team anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/sherafzalmarwat\/status\/1692635689043845380?s=20<\/p>\n
He further claimed that he has informed the party and recorded voice messages about those chasing him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday, I went into hiding, and I am unsure if I am safe, but I have identified my chasers and sent their names to a group of lawyers for legal action in case I go missing. It is increasingly becoming difficult to trust people within the very close circles of the party. If I am allowed by the relevant persons in the party and if I survive the hunt, I will share the names of the traitors very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Fabricated\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Omar Ayeb has termed the report \u201ctotally fabricated\u201d and reiterated that \u201cImran Khan is our Chairman and will remain Chairman PTI InshaAllah\u201d.<\/p>\n He also denied the existence of any groups in PTI or the core committee.<\/p>\n \u201cDecision-making is being done with consensus and very smoothly as per the framework made by Imran Khan himself,\u201d Ayub said in a statement on social media and added that he held Shah Mahmood Qureishi in the highest of regards and esteem.<\/p>\n 1. Geo News as usual is reporting total fabricated news regarding PTI. 2. Former Prime Minister and Chairman PTI Imran Khan is our Chairman and will remain Chairman PTI InshaAllah. — Omar Ayub Khan (@OmarAyubKhan) August 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
3. There are no groups in PTI or the Core Committee.
4. Decision-making is being done with\u2026<\/p>\n