Gandapur hits back at Salman Akram Raja in widening PTI rift

Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur has hit back at PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, saying the province’s lawmakers need no “loyalty certificates” from anyone, as the party’s internal rift spilled into the open, Geo News reported.

Gandapur called Raja’s recent remarks “regrettable, irresponsible and damaging” to the party’s unity at a time when it faces extraordinary political difficulties.

“This party belongs to Imran Khan. We do not need loyalty certificates from anyone, nor does anyone have the authority to pass judgements on our political loyalty or hand us certificates of treason,” he said.

What Raja said

In a post on X, Raja warned that PTI’s internal unity was being targeted by what he called “undemocratic decision-makers”, The Express Tribune reported.

“A narrative is being spread that 68 members of the K-P Assembly are set to announce the provincial president and the candidate for the next Chief Minister as a group without the permission of Imran Khan sahib and the party’s Political Committee,” he wrote.

He also claimed a group had cut off contact with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his team in the final days of the crisis, paving the way for the emergency and governor’s rule. Raja said Junaid Akbar remained the PTI’s KP president, with Ali Asghar Khan acting in his absence, and that Afridi was still chief minister under the Constitution.

Gandapur’s challenge

Gandapur demanded that Raja back his claims with names. “First, make it clear who these people are,” he said, asking which lawmakers were accused of acting without Imran Khan’s approval, and on what basis Raja claimed a group had cut off Afridi.

• On the inquiry: “If an investigation is under way, why does the party not know about it?” Gandapur asked
• On the acting president: he questioned where the notification appointing Ali Asghar Khan was, and who had authorised it
• On the marches: he said some central office-bearers had not met workers’ expectations during the marches on Islamabad, and “that too should be accounted for before the party”

The Express Tribune also reported an audio recording, said to be of Gandapur, blaming Raja’s “mismanagement and flawed planning” for the provincial government’s dismissal. The paper said it could not verify the recording.

“No differences,” says chief whip

PTI Chief Whip Malik Aamir Dogar denied any split in the parliamentary party, The Express Tribune reported. He expressed full confidence in opposition leaders Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and said no change of opposition leader could happen without the founding chairman’s approval.

“No one else can become chief minister without the founding chairman’s consent,” Dogar said, insisting Afridi remained KP’s lawful chief minister. He claimed more than 10 PTI MNAs were in jail, but said the party believed in dialogue and hoped talks with the government would resume in the coming days.

A day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said a ban on the PTI was no longer necessary after the imposition of governor’s rule in KP.

Why it matters

With its KP government sidelined and leaders in custody, the PTI’s biggest risk may now be division within its own ranks. Whether the party can stay united will shape any talks with the government and the future of the province. Read our reports on the government’s call for talks on counterterrorism and on the court challenge to the KP emergency.

This article draws on reporting by Geo News and The Express Tribune.