SWAT: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Qaiser has challenged the ruling coalition to contest the party’s popularity through transparent elections, declaring that if all government parties combined manage to win even ten seats in a fair contest, PTI would “consider them victorious.”
Speaking on a private television programme, Qaiser dismissed reports of internal rifts within PTI, saying the party remained united under the leadership of founder Imran Khan.
“There are no differences in PTI. Every party has diverse opinions, but there is no disagreement,” he said, adding that any divisions would only exist “if Imran Khan himself disagreed.”
He claimed PTI’s popularity had risen by around 20 percent, particularly pointing to strong public response in Hammad Azhar’s constituency in Lahore. Qaiser challenged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and other government leaders to compete with PTI “on a level playing field,” asserting that the ruling alliance lacked the public’s mandate.
“The current government is not a people’s government. We cannot sit with them,” Qaiser said, though he added that PTI remained open to dialogue on a broader national agenda.
In a related statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Advisor Barrister Saif launched a sharp criticism of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accusing him of securing power through what he termed a “fake mandate.” He alleged that the premier had “hurt national sentiments” by compromising Pakistan’s stance on Palestine, referring to what he described as “Trump’s 20-point agenda.”
Saif called on the prime minister to apologise, reiterating that Imran Khan’s position on Palestine was consistent with the principles of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and any deviation from it “would be rejected by the people.”
The statements underscore PTI’s continued rejection of the government’s legitimacy and its efforts to reinforce internal unity and support around Imran Khan’s leadership.
