- WEB DESK
- October 20, 2026
Senator Mashal Yousafzai faces PTI notice over November 26 protest remarks
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- WEB DESK
- October 20, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to issue a show-cause notice to Senator Mashal Yousafzai over her remarks about behind-the-scenes contacts with party founder Imran Khan during the November 26, 2024 protest in Islamabad, amid fresh disagreements within the party over its leadership and decision-making.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed the disciplinary action, saying senior party leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi had been tasked with issuing the notice over what he described as a violation of party discipline.
Barrister Gohar said Yousafzai had spoken openly about the party’s senior leadership and had previously been warned against similar conduct.
He said he supported the right of party members to express differences of opinion through the relevant party forums, adding that he did not take disagreements personally but that action sometimes became necessary.
The action follows claims by Mashal Yousafzai about communications between Khan and senior PTI leaders during the party’s November 2024 protest, when its supporters gathered in Islamabad to demand the release of the former prime minister.
Speaking in the Senate, Yousafzai alleged that Barrister Gohar and Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif were taken to Adiala jail by helicopter on November 26, 2024, to meet Khan.
She further claimed that Khan was offered the option of going to Nathia Gali but rejected it.
The senator said the conversations took place over her phone and that she had facilitated a telephone conversation between Khan and then-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
The allegations concern the period when PTI leaders were seeking directions from Khan, who was incarcerated at Adiala jail, as the party’s protest in the federal capital reached a critical stage.
The party leadership was faced with decisions over whether to continue towards D-Chowk or move the demonstration to an alternative location.
Gohar has also publicly discussed his contacts with Khan during the days preceding the protest.
In remarks reported by Geo News on Tuesday, he said he had met Khan three times on November 25, 2024 — in the morning, afternoon and at night — and had spoken to Gandapur by telephone during one of those meetings. According to Gohar, Gandapur asked Khan to record a video statement, but the recording was postponed over concerns about which mobile phone would be used.
Allegations concerning Asad Qaiser
Yousafzai had also alleged that PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser lobbied to have his younger brother, Aqibullah Khan, appointed chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and met Khan under the cover of darkness.
PTI faces questions over internal decision-making
The disciplinary action comes as PTI grapples with disagreements over its political strategy, leadership roles and decision-making procedures.
In a report published on Tuesday, Dawn said the party’s core committee had held lengthy discussions over two days but failed to agree on a future course of action. Participants reportedly raised concerns about the party’s decision-making structure, the role of its political committee and the handling of recent political developments.
The report also said Yousafzai had advocated appointing Saif as the focal person for meetings with Khan at Adiala jail, while some other participants believed former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry could be a better choice.
The latest dispute places renewed focus on how PTI communicates decisions made by its founder and how disagreements among senior leaders are handled.
Barrister Gohar has maintained that party members can express their views, but that decisions taken by the leadership must be followed.
Yousafzai’s allegations about the helicopter transfer, the alleged offer of Nathia Gali and her role in facilitating phone conversations have not been independently established.
The show-cause notice represents a formal disciplinary step by the party, while the allegations concerning the November 2024 protest remain disputed.
