Tehreek-e-Insaf 'in tatters' after clash between Hammad Azhar and Gandapur

The inside story revealed Hammad Azhar resigned from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after being urged by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur to be more active in party matters.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the conflict arose when KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur asked Hammad Azhar to be more active in party affairs, which reportedly angered Hammad. 

The sources revealed that the tension escalated when Ali Amin suggested that if Azhar couldn't manage party responsibilities, he should step down.

Ali Amin Gandapur remarked that while Hammad appeared to be in hiding, but was still managing his personal affairs perfectly, so he should focus on party matters as well. 

In response, Hammad Azhar advised CM Gandapur to focus on the governance of the KP province rather than the PTI leaders' activities. 

Additionally, Hammad Azhar expressed dissatisfaction over not being able to meet PTI’s founder, Imran Khan, despite efforts by PTI-backed opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, to address the issue. 

Omar Ayub, in a statement on X, praised Hammad Azhar's dedication to the party and Imran Khan, and announced that his resignation would not be accepted. 

However, Azhar replied on X, expressing gratitude for the confidence shown in him but stating that his decision was firm. 

He added that he could not continue in a role where he had full responsibility but no authority, and found it difficult to work through intermediaries without direct access to the party leader.

Hammad Azhar's open letter to Imran Khan exposes grouping

Hammad Azhar also addressed an open letter to PTI founder Imran Khan, highlighting internal divisions within the party.

In the letter, Azhar identified three factions and two groups within the party, stating that after February 8, one group entered the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the second group reached the parliament, and the third group remained marginalised. 

He mentioned that the interests of the groups in the government and parliament have now diverged. Azhar further disclosed that, besides the three factions, two other groups in the party are connected to two different messengers. 

These groups provide selective feedback about certain people to the party chairman and manage to get their desired words spoken by him.

He expressed concern over the misuse of access by the PTI founder, warning that leaving these people unchecked could cause significant harm. He also mentioned that new faces in the party have gained undue importance. Azhar made it clear that he neither held a press conference nor made any deal, and he has had no contact with the PTI founder.

Text of Letter:

The text of Hammad Azhar's letter to PTI founder Imran Khan is as follows:

"Dear Leader Imran Khan,

I stand with you and will continue to stand with you if God wills. Our movement is successful, and by God's will, victory is near. I have been displaced from my home for over a year, and my business has suffered greatly, but God has granted me perseverance. Until February 8, I managed to keep the party united in your absence. Everyone was under discipline, and we were all on the same page. There was no factionalism within the party. However, after the election victory, some people joined the government, some entered parliament, and some remained marginalised. These are three groups whose interests and thinking have now diverged. You need to bring them all back on the same page, and no one should be allowed to pursue a strategy different from your vision. Anyone who holds a different view, regardless of who they are, should not be allowed to go on screen. There are also two other groups within the party, connected to two different messengers. These people have gained undue importance and provide you with selective feedback about their preferred people, and they manage to get their desired words spoken by you. The simple solution is for you to meet with the Secretary General and Shibli Faraz more frequently, and rotate the remaining four individuals every week. Umar and Shibli are responsible and mature individuals, and it is because of them that the party has endured difficult times, but they do not meet with you as often as they should. Members of the assembly and ticket holders should meet with you in rotation for the remaining four slots so that the scope of your information broadens. In the time allotted for meeting with women, you should meet with the office bearers of the women's wing every week, and limit the role of new faces. These new faces do not yet have the understanding or maturity, and they are responsible for many issues due to providing you with incorrect feedback. These are not such big problems that they cannot be overcome. Access to you is being severely misused, and it needs to be corrected. However, if these issues are left unchecked, they could be extremely damaging. I am not, nor have I ever been, desirous of a party position, and I only took on this responsibility at your insistence. I will continue to work for the party, but without any position. I believe that under the current circumstances, this is the most appropriate course of action for me."

Reporters: Tayyab Saif and Usman Khadim