PESHAWAR – Political tensions within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intensified as party leader Sher Afzal Marwat confirmed reports of possible no-confidence move against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Marwat claimed that PTI founder Imran Khan conveyed a message about removing Soahil Afridi from CM office, amid growing differences over the party’s Islamabad protest strategy.
He said Imran Khan sent the message through his lawyer Salman Safdar, saying that leading the Islamabad march could be beyond Afridi’s capabilities and that the KP chief minister should step down. Marwat further claimed that messages concerning Afridi were also confirmed by Bushra Bibi’s family and Nooreen Niazi.
PTI leader said Khan later discussed the matter with Nooreen Niazi in the presence of Bushra Bibi and expressed strong displeasure with Afridi, Salman Akram and two other individuals.
The situation took another dramatic turn when Marwat claimed that Nooreen Niazi told Imran Khan that former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur had formed a pressure group against Afridi. According to Marwat, Niazi told Khan that around 35 MPAs were ready to revolt against the incumbent chief minister.
Marwat said Khan asked what the lawmakers wanted, to which Niazi allegedly replied that the lawmakers believed Afridi was unable to deliver. He further claimed that Khan agreed with the lawmakers’ criticism and questioned the future of Afridi’s government.
Marwat also claimed that Afridi would not receive a reprieve even if the PTI managed to hold its Islamabad march. He said there would be “no apology” from Imran Khan if Afridi failed to bring the march to Islamabad, adding that the reported message called for a no-confidence move against the chief minister if the march did not take place. PTI had initially planned its Islamabad protest for September 27 but subsequently postponed it to October 4.
However, the allegations have not gone unchallenged. Barrister Gohar and members of Imran Khan’s family denied claims that the PTI founder ordered or supported the removal of Sohail Afridi, as well as the conversation attributed to Nooreen Niazi.
The contrasting claims added another layer to the political uncertainty surrounding the PTI-led KP government, with reported differences over Afridi’s leadership and the party’s protest strategy now drawing renewed attention.
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