PTI KP leaders split over February 8 protest plan

PESHAWAR (News Desk): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership is facing internal divisions over the party’s planned protest on February 8, with several lawmakers opposing road closures and a proposed lockdown, according to party sources.

The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-Pakistan (TTAP) has announced a countrywide shutdown strike on February 8 to mark the second anniversary of the 2024 general elections, which PTI has repeatedly described as “rigged.”

Sources said the PTI KP parliamentary party met on Monday to finalise its strategy for the protest, but sharp differences surfaced during the discussion.

Insiders said MNA Shahid Khattak argued that PTI had received a strong mandate from voters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and that there was no justification for staging protests within the province.

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He warned that lockdowns and road blockades would directly affect the public and could create political difficulties for the party in its strongest province.

MNA Atif Khan reportedly supported Khattak’s position. Khattak also suggested compiling a list of party members who did not participate in protests held outside Adiala jail in the past.

The meeting is said to have grown tense when PTI KP President Junaid Akbar expressed frustration over what he described as pressure on the leadership to satisfy different groups. According to sources, Akbar questioned who the leadership was expected to appease, referring to party figures and workers.

Shahid Khattak confirmed that all participants, including Junaid Akbar, expressed their views during the meeting. He said he had cautioned that a lockdown would cause hardship for the public.