Imran Khan takes PTI patron-in-chief role as party faces internal strife

By Staff Reporter

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, declared himself the party’s patron-in-chief on Tuesday, asserting control amid internal rifts as the party gears up for a nationwide protest to press the PML-N-led coalition government for his release.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan will stay on as chairman, despite whispers of discord within the party.

Khan made the decisions during a meeting with party leaders at Central Jail Adiala in Rawalpindi, where he is currently held.

“PTI founder says he will be the patron-in-chief of the PTI from today onwards,” PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told journalists after the meeting with Khan, emphasising that “all decisions would be made by the PTI founder, just as they were before.”

The move comes as PTI grapples with internal tensions, though Gohar Khan firmly rejected rumors of his removal as chairman. “Everyone knows what the consequences will be if the party does not have a chairman,” he said, dismissing speculation about his standing within the party.

The announcement of Khan’s new role as patron-in-chief aligns with PTI’s preparations for a nationwide protest, though the party has not yet specified a date for the demonstrations. “PTI founder says he himself will lead the protest movement,” Gohar Khan said.

He revealed a shift in strategy, saying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who has previously spearheaded such efforts, will not lead this time. “Different individuals will be assigned different responsibilities regarding the protest movement,” Gohar Khan said.

Gohar Khan said all the instructions regarding the protest movement will be given to Omar Ayub, though he clarified that the PTI founder has not yet provided a timeline for the planned actions.

Despite the confrontational stance, Gohar signaled an openness to de-escalation. “I still want the issues to be resolved through dialogue,” he said, adding that “the PTI founder has kept the option of negotiations with the establishment” on the table. He also dismissed suggestions of discord between Khan and the party leadership, insisting that the founder expressed no lack of confidence in its current direction.