PTI Internal Discipline Fractures: Firdous Naqvi Resigns Post, Mashal Yousafzai Quits Party Groups
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is facing a fresh internal crisis after its additional secretary general resigned his party post and a senior senator quit the party’s internal communication groups. The developments mark the latest test of PTI internal discipline.
PTI Additional Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi submitted his resignation on Wednesday. Party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected the resignation and reportedly convinced the veteran leader to withdraw it, Dawn reported on Thursday.
Senator Mashal Yousafzai, meanwhile, left the WhatsApp groups of the party’s parliamentary party and core committee after a heated exchange with Barrister Gohar and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.
The PTI internal discipline crisis deepens
According to Dawn, Senator Yousafzai told a recent two-day core committee meeting that she had lost trust in the leadership over its failure to secure the release of party founder Imran Khan. She raised the issue again on Thursday.
Barrister Gohar warned her that she could be expelled from the group. Yousafzai responded that she would leave the groups herself, and she quit both the parliamentary party and the core committee groups.
PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed both developments. He said Naqvi had resigned and Gohar had rejected the resignation, adding that he hoped the situation would be controlled. He described Yousafzai’s exit as a decision taken in the heat of the moment.
The show-cause notice at the heart of the row
The row has roots in an earlier dispute. Two days before Naqvi announced his resignation, Barrister Gohar had directed him to issue a show-cause notice to Senator Yousafzai over an alleged breach of party discipline, ARY News reported on October 21.
Gohar said Naqvi had been instructed to start the process after Yousafzai publicly commented on the party’s senior leadership, which he described as a violation of party rules. She had been warned about her conduct before, he added.
Naqvi confirmed he had not yet issued the notice. Announcing his resignation, he said the decision was not prompted by any grievance or disagreement. Other reports described his reasons as matters of principle and organisation.
As an elected office-bearer, Naqvi’s signature mattered on official party notifications. That weight is sharpened by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s rejection of the PTI’s intra-party elections, with a related case pending before the Lahore High Court.
Detentions outside Adiala jail
On the same day, police detained three PTI supporters outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Malik Haris Awan, Ali Raza and Umer Baig were taken into custody after they arrived with party leaders to meet Imran Khan.
Advocate Awais Younas Chaudhry told Dawn that eleven people, including Sardar Sadaqat Hayat, Muhammad Bilal Khan, Malik Asif Mehmood Kashif, Jaleel Shah, Malik Haris Awan and Nadia Khattak, were on the list for a Thursday meeting with Imran Khan. The jail administration did not allow the meeting.
Chaudhry said there was no case against Haris Awan and that he had come to Adiala on the directions of the Islamabad High Court, but police were unwilling to release him.
The internal friction comes as opposition figures press for political engagement. Feature Pakistan reported that opposition leaders have demanded dialogue with the government, with Achakzai saying no talks could proceed without consulting Imran Khan. The government, for its part, says its doors remain open for dialogue with the opposition. The dispute has also revived memories of the failure of earlier reconciliation talks. Imran Khan remains in Adiala, where he recently underwent a medical examination and where his sisters’ court-backed meeting and medicines made headlines.
Frequently asked questions
Who resigned from the PTI?
Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the party’s additional secretary general. Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected the resignation.
Why did Mashal Yousafzai leave the party groups?
After a heated exchange with Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja over the leadership’s failure to secure Imran Khan’s release.
What was the show-cause notice dispute about?
Barrister Gohar directed Naqvi to issue a show-cause notice to Yousafzai over an alleged breach of party discipline. Naqvi said he had not issued it before resigning.
Who was detained outside Adiala jail?
Malik Haris Awan, Ali Raza and Umer Baig, after arriving with party leaders to meet Imran Khan on Thursday.
