PTI: Fault lines going deeper as lawmakers trade allegations
ISLAMABAD: A meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers on Wednesday exposed deep fault lines within the party, as staunch loyalists confronted colleagues allegedly aligned with ‘establishment’, highlighting growing internal dissent and questions over party discipline.
The meeting of PTI’s joint parliamentary committee, chaired by the opposition leader in National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai, was intended as a routine discussion but instead descended into a stormy debate, with party MNA Shahid Khattak openly accusing Senator Zarqa of compromising party principles.
According to sources with direct knowledge of the proceedings, Khattak accused Zarqa of ‘taking money’ – a remark that provoked an immediate and emotional response from fellow party senator Barrister Ali Zafar.
Sources said Zafar threatened to boycott the meeting, stating: “If you disrespect our members, I will boycott the proceedings.”
Other lawmakers and senators weighed in, with some expressing concern that Khattak had exceeded the bounds of intra-party critique, while others sided with him, questioning the loyalty of members perceived to have “soft corners” for the establishment.
At the centre of the dispute was Senator Zarqa, who faces allegations of violating the party policy during the voting and subsequent passage of the controversial 26th Amendment.
Zarqa told the meeting that she had been formally served a notice and had submitted a response, adding that her continuation in the party depended on the leadership’s satisfaction with that reply.
The meeting also drew sharp commentary from PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who juxtaposed Pakistan’s internal conflicts with international crises, stating: “On one hand, there is the war in Iran; on the other, your internal war continues.”
Junaid Akbar, another committee member, criticised the party’s organisational culture, highlighting the disproportionate influence of a small group in decision-making.
“A few members of the youth panel are running the Chief Minister’s office. There are lawyers here, but why isn’t Imran Khan getting relief,” he said. “Only three or four people make decisions, and there is no consultation. We know where these leaders’ authority comes from. In the matter of committees, someone used the shoulder of Imran Khan.”
The meeting also addressed broader geopolitical concerns. The party condemned the ongoing US-Israel military engagement with Iran in “the strongest possible terms” and reiterated calls for a parliamentary briefing on the issue.
In what appeared to be a clear push for perks and privileges, several PTI lawmakers, particularly the senators, stunned the meeting by demanding to rejoin the standing committees of both the Senate and National Assembly, from which they had withdrawn last year following directives from jailed party founding chairman Imran Khan.
Sources said that while a majority of PTI senators were eager to re-engage with the standing committees, a significant contingent of MNAs insisted that Imran Khan’s decisions must not be challenged.
It was decided that the matter would be formally raised with the party chief when meetings with him at Adiala jail are permitted.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026