After witnessing phenomenal support in Gujranwala after successful demonstrations in the important district of Punjab, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Gujranwala chapter is facing difficulties due to intra-party rifts that became evident in the July 5 PTI demonstration.
Resentment of old party workers with their leadership was observed as the party workers expressed their apprehensions regarding the management of the party at the local level.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Usman Basra, a local leader of the PTI, said during fund collection for the demonstration, Rs 5.1 million were collected from aspiring candidates, Rs 100,000 from each expectant candidate for the MPA slot, while Rs 250,000 was collected from aspirants for the MNA slots.
He said PTI District President Waleed Akram Bhindar and Barrister Adil Saleem Khan were given the responsibility of collecting funds and arranging the demonstration, but the arrangements were not worthy of staging a huge demonstration to meet the expectations of the workers as well as the masses.
Basra said they even did not arrange for a back up generator, therefore the central leadership addressed the workers in the dark.
He said with the funds collected, one could arrange a stage with optimum height along with stairs, high voltage generator and even arrange drinking water for the workers who had come from far off areas.
“Our chairman was rightfully irritated due to the arrangements as he had to play at the national and international level, while it is the responsibility of the second command to manage internal issues and deal with the lower hierarchy that amounts to the party building. However, satisfactory results have not been achieved yet, which is creating resentment within the party” he added.
He said Imran Khan was a true leader and party workers loved him, but the management at the local level was not working properly.
Basra said the main reason fro that was a lack of coordination and consultation with the party workers, as power struggle was on within the party.
PTI Gujranwala General Secretary Ali Raza Buttar and President Insaaf Lawyers Forum told Pakistan Today that hidden power struggle was going on within the party which was weakening its roots.
They said Shahnawaz Cheema, a former PPP worker who had joined the PTI, was strengthening his own group comprising former PPP politicians, while Shahid Akram Bhinder, a former PML-Q worker, was strengthening his own group instead of strengthening the party.
They said the moves were creating apprehensions in the minds of the workers, as old political tactics were tarnishing the dream of a real positive change. They said although the influx of experienced political workers from other parties was beneficial for the party, but the people with conviction were more important for bringing the promised change in the society.
