Peshawar, July 18, 2025: Deepening internal rifts have emerged within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as key party organizers have publicly condemned the leadership’s decision to deny a Senate ticket to Irfan Saleem, a senior figure from Peshawar, sparking threats of widespread protests and disruptions.
In a heated press conference on Friday, senior PTI office-bearers from the provincial organizational setup expressed their fury, declaring the ticket denial a betrayal of the party’s founding ideology. They warned that if the decision is not reversed, they will launch mass protests outside the KP Assembly, Chief Minister’s House, and the residences of sitting MPAs.
“Irfan Saleem will remain in the race — his nomination will not be withdrawn under any circumstances,” said one organizer.
Criticizing the central leadership, organizers said PTI’s grassroots workers have been sidelined in favor of wealthy financiers.
“Tickets are being handed to ATMs, not ideological workers,” they claimed — referencing affluent individuals believed to be backing the party financially.
They accused the party of trying to engineer unopposed victories by pushing aside loyal contenders. “This is an ideological battle initiated by Imran Khan himself — and we intend to carry it forward,” they said, asserting that Irfan Saleem is Khan’s nominee and has the support of 13 to 15 MPAs.
The disgruntled office-bearers warned of escalating actions, including sit-ins outside the Chief Minister’s House, blocking MPAs from voting on election day, entering the Red Zone in Peshawar and protests outside the homes of lawmakers attempting to vote.
“We are not backing down. If our demands are not accepted, we will disrupt the entire Senate voting process,” a speaker warned.
The revolt comes amid mounting dissatisfaction within PTI over candidate selection and internal decision-making processes, just weeks before the Senate elections. The leadership now faces a potential grassroots backlash, with concerns that the party’s electoral strategy could be severely impacted if the unrest is not defused.
The PTI’s top leadership has yet to publicly respond to the protest threats or clarify the rationale behind Irfan Saleem’s exclusion from the ticket list.
