A new audio clip featuring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan has surfaced, revealing a growing rift within the leadership of Imran Khan’s party following their recent “do-or-die” protest in Islamabad.
The audio leak comes days after the PTI abruptly halted its march after a government crackdown on protesters attempting to reach D-Chowk, a major intersection in Islamabad. The sudden change in plans sparked widespread criticism within the PTI, with questions raised about why supporters were directed to D-Chowk instead of setting up a sit-in at Sangjani, as Imran Khan had reportedly ordered.
In the leaked audio, which Ali Muhammad Khan confirmed was his during an interview with Geo News, the PTI leader asserts that Imran Khan had instructed party leaders to establish a protest camp in Islamabad’s Sangjani area, not at D-Chowk in the Red Zone.
“The PTI founder had not asked to come to D-Chowk, but to Islamabad. Khan Sahib had said that the final sit-in location would be confirmed after the party members reached Islamabad,” Ali Muhammad Khan states in the recording. He further claims that Imran Khan gave these instructions in the presence of Barrister Gohar Faisal.
Khan raises questions about the role of Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, within the protest planning. “The PTI founder had said that there was no place for hereditary politics in our party, so why did Aleema Khan call the protest herself?” he asks. He emphasizes that, according to Imran Khan’s directives, party leadership should have made the call, not a family member.
The leaked audio also reveals that the PTI's aim was to initiate talks through their protests, as per Imran Khan’s orders. It also states that Imran Khan was unaware of his wife Bushra Bibi’s presence at the protest and only learned about it from Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
"The PTI chairman and secretary general should have announced that the sit-in would be held in Sangjani," Khan argues, adding that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also agreed with this plan. He stresses that no one had the right to overrule Imran Khan’s decision.
Ali Muhammad Khan concludes by emphasizing the importance of following Imran Khan's instructions. "We should have followed our leader's orders and stopped in Sangjani. No one, including Bushra Bibi, has the right to override the founder-chairman’s decision," he states firmly. He adds, “When Barrister Saif had conveyed the message of the founding chairman, we should have acted on it.”
The PTI protests, demanding the release of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, took a violent turn on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of four security personnel and two PTI supporters. The clashes between protesters and security forces erupted after PTI protesters were met with tear gas upon reaching Islamabad's D-Chowk.
