A political controversy has erupted within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over a missed meeting with a visiting US congressional delegation, after revelations that the National Assembly Speaker's Office extended invitations to PTI members—but the information was not relayed to the broader party leadership, reported 24NewsHd TV channel Monday.
According to insider sources, the Speaker's Secretariat had reached out to two key PTI figures—Chief Whip Aamir Dogar and party leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan—to attend the meeting with the American delegation. However, instead of informing the party or its parliamentary committee, both officials allegedly kept the invitation under wraps.
The issue came to light when an emergency meeting of PTI’s parliamentary committee was convened to address the diplomatic lapse. All MNAs belonging to PTI and its allied Sunni Ittehad Council were present, and the atmosphere reportedly turned tense as questions were raised over why the party had no official representation in the high-profile engagement.
Sources claim that PTI lawmaker Aamir Dogar was attending the wedding of PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira’s son at the time, while Barrister Gohar was “seeking confirmations” from different sources regarding the meeting’s details.
Barrister Gohar, defending himself during the parliamentary huddle, said, “I asked Rauf Hassan (PTI spokesperson) about the invitation, but we did not receive anything from the US Embassy.”
He added that he also inquired with officials at both the Senate and the National Assembly secretariats, but found no formal communication or email invitation.
“We will reach out to the US Embassy again. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding,” Gohar stated. “If we receive an official invitation, we will certainly attend. I personally went when invited on July 4,” he added, referencing a previous meeting.
Reporter: Tayyab Saif