LAHORE: Internal rifts in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
resulted in a clash between the activists belonging to two groups within
the party at a ceremony, forcing the leadership to leave the venue here
on Sunday.
It all began when supporters of Punjab
chapter president Aleem Khan resorted to sloganeering against Lahore
chapter chief Waleed Iqbal for not inviting Mr Khan to the Quaid-i-Azam
Day ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Iqbal. Iqbal was organiser of the
event.
As some of Mr Khan’s activists attempted to reach
the stage, the rivals intervened, ensuing a clash between supporters of
the two leaders.
The clash forced Vice-chairman Shah
Mamhmood Qureshi and information secretary Shafqat Mahmood, who were on
the stage, to cut short their speeches and leave the venue.
A press release later issued on behalf of Mr Iqbal
claimed that Mr Khan had been duly invited. A couple of screen shots of
Mr Iqbal’s emails to various leaders, including Aleem Khan, inviting
them to the functions were also shared with the media to shun the
impression that the latter was ignored in any way.
Mr
Qureshi also endorsed the claim that the entire leadership, including Mr
Khan, had been invited to the event, and said that both who came to
attend the event and who did not were equally respectable for him.
The
vice-chairman, in a bid to stay above the grouping, clarified that he
had not come to the event for any group, but to unite the party.
Former
Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar warned on the occasion that the parties
having internal rifts and grouping couldn’t even think of winning
polls.
Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly,
Mahmoodur Rashid, said it seemed the workers got disappointed for such
people were coming to the fore who had not taken part in the party’s
struggle. However, he urged the activists not to lose heart as the party
would remain in their control.
Advocate Hamid Khan vowed to continue his struggle for “getting justice, both within and outside the party”.