Murad Saeed draws PTI’s ire for announcing protest without consensus

ISLAMABAD: Opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former state minister Murad Saeed has landed in hot waters with his own party after issuing a protest call. PTI’s political committee is upset with Saeed for announcing the protest without consensus from the party members, media reports said on Tuesday. Murad Saeed has called for a protest march on April 11, in Swat.

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The political committee has also decided to raise the issue with the incarcerated founder and former chairman of PTI, Imran Khan. PTI leaders said that Imran Khan will decide whether to move forward with the protest plan or not. There are also suggestions to refrain from protests, in favour of attempts to deescalate the situation and work towards Imran Khan’s release from Adiala Jail.

There are also reports that supporters of Imran Khan and PTI have been urging the jailed former prime minister to opt for diplomatic approach instead of aggressive social media campaigns, so that an agreement can be reached with the current leadership for his release. However, so far no statement has come from Imran Khan or his lawyers that shows his willingness for this method.

For now, the protest call by Murad Saeed has angered his fellow party members. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and other senior leaders of the party have said that these decisions need to come directly from Imran Khan himself.

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Senior PTI figures, including party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and several members of the political committee, are reportedly unhappy with Saeed’s decision to call the protest without consultation or formal approval from the leadership. They are of the opinion that the protests and rallies in the recent past have not yielded any major political gains, but have only caused more pressure on the party and on Imran Khan himself.