Could something be brewing within the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) again? Over the weekend, a series of quiet but curious meetings have reignited speculation about internal realignments in the embattled party. Several old and new faces turned up to meet PTI’s vice-chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who has largely remained out of the political spotlight since his incarceration. Ostensibly, the meetings were to “discuss politics,” but the timing and cast of visitors have prompted much conjecture about what might really be going on behind the scenes.
On Saturday, former PTI stalwarts Fawad Chaudhry, Mahmood Maulvi, and Imran Ismail paid a visit to Mr Qureshi at the Lahore hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. According to reports, the meeting ended without any tangible outcome, and the visitors “returned empty-handed.” The very next day, PTI secretary-general Salman Akram Raja, accompanied by party leaders Shaukat Basra and Zaheer Babar, also called on the jailed vice-chairman. Party sources later confirmed that the country’s “current political situation” was discussed, though little was revealed about the substance of their conversation.
What might have passed as a routine exchange gained greater significance after remarks from the former PTI leaders surfaced. They criticised the current party leadership for its failure to secure any relief for imprisoned figures — including Imran Khan himself, as well as other long-detained members such as Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and Mr Qureshi. According to them, their visit was meant to seek Mr Qureshi’s blessing for a campaign to “free Imran Khan.” However, if reports from Mr Qureshi’s lawyer are to be believed, the meeting was cut short, and the visitors were asked to leave before they could present their case.
The following day’s visit by serving PTI officials likely reflected concern over these renewed overtures. Whether Mr Raja and his team managed to calm nerves within the party remains unclear. However, with political commentators once again suggesting that Imran Khan’s confrontational approach has “blocked his party’s path,” speculation is mounting that another attempt at sidelining the PTI founder — a “minus Imran” formula — could be resurfacing.
Whatever the truth, the episode underscores a critical reality for the PTI. The path of total confrontation has yielded little but further isolation. Dialogue with political rivals remains a viable option, yet the party’s rigid stance has kept it from exploring potential avenues for relief or compromise. Meanwhile, the government, too, bears responsibility for narrowing the space for political engagement by refusing to show flexibility toward a party that still commands massive popular support.
If the current trajectory continues, the consequences could be disastrous not just for PTI but for Pakistan’s entire political edifice. With its leadership fragmented and its key figures imprisoned, the party is ill-positioned to shield its constituencies from the fallout of prolonged instability. It is imperative that PTI’s leaders now show restraint, responsibility, and a willingness to engage in meaningful negotiation — for the sake of both their political survival and the country’s democratic future. At this stage, there appears to be no other viable option.
Shafaqna Pakistan
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