PTI divided over D-Chowk protest demonstration

Senior PTI leadership is split on whether the party should go ahead with its protest demonstration at D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 15, on the occasion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

There are reports that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is opposed to any protest while the conference is underway.

Similarly, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Hamid Khan and Ali Muhammad Khan have also voiced their concerns over any such move.  

The differences of opinion can be gauged from the fact that the party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja did not attend the core committee meeting held yesterday.

Insiders say that senior PTI leader from KP Atif Khan lashed out at the party's high command during the core committee meeting. 

Similarly, they said that PTI leader Hammad Azhar had an exchange of hot words with KP CM Gandapur during the meeting. The former was furious as to why the call for protest in Punjab was given without taking him into confidence.

Hammad also said to the KP CM to arrange a meeting of the party leaders with the former prime minister and the PTI founder Imran Khan since he was on good terms with Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi. 

The summit, which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16, will be attended among others by Russia, China and India.

Reporter: Tayyab Saif