ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat has leveled serious allegations against fellow party members Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Shibli Faraz, holding them responsible for the party’s failure to secure reserved seats in the assemblies.
In an interview with a private news Channel, Marwat accused the two leaders of derailing a critical strategy approved by PTI’s founding leadership.
According to Marwat, the original plan, endorsed by PTI’s founder, was to contest the elections using the electoral symbol of Maulana Sherani’s faction. However, Marwat claimed that Firdous Shamim and Shibli Faraz unilaterally rejected the agreement and bypassed the rest of the party, ultimately hijacking the process. “Because of their actions, PTI was deprived of reserved seats,” he said.
He further pointed out that the Supreme Court’s recent verdict did not recognise the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as a legitimate political entity entitled to reserved seats, legally weakening PTI’s position even more.
Marwat also criticised the current PTI leadership, suggesting that a forward bloc is emerging within the party due to growing dissatisfaction. “The current leadership cannot bring about change, nor mobilise the people. If I were leading the protest movement, I could have brought the public out onto the streets,” he asserted.
He accused the leadership of showing “cowardice,” claiming it had crippled the party’s ability to act decisively. “Losing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government doesn’t even seem to matter to them anymore. PTI is now without a clear direction,” Marwat added.
In response to a question, he said that the current government faces no real threat from PTI under its existing leadership. However, he expressed concern that the recent developments regarding reserved seats could eventually lead to a rollback of the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Marwat also took a swipe at Aleema Khan, suggesting that unless she shows genuine commitment to the party’s cause, public support for her would remain weak. “If she isn’t sincere with the leadership, why would the public stand by her?” he asked.
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