PTI management turns into hostage to its social media, choose group of diaspora

Supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khans party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), attend a rally demanding his release in Swabi, Pakistan November 9, 2024. — Reuters
Supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s celebration, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), attend a rally demanding his launch in Swabi, Pakistan November 9, 2024. — Reuters 

ISLAMABAD: Prime management of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has change into hostage to the celebration’s social media and choose teams of its supporters among the many diaspora, who the management agrees are aggravating issues for the celebration and its jailed founder chairman however they’re unstoppable.

Following the current PTI march to Islamabad, campaigns have been launched towards the Pakistan Military and its chief on social media and on-road screens in some US cities. Some high celebration leaders have contacted PTI’s US chapter to cease the propaganda, however their requests have fallen on deaf ears.

On situation of not being named, a key PTI chief mentioned that they’re hesitant to challenge public statements towards this anti-army propaganda due to fears that they might be dubbed “ghaddar (traitor)” and trolled by the celebration’s social media. 

What’s unbelievable is that even the PTI’s official social media is managed from overseas and isn’t underneath the management of even the celebration’s incumbent Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary Basic Salman Akram Raja, and Data Secretary Waqas Akram Shaikh.

Background interactions with completely different senior PTI leaders present that the celebration’s management is underneath large stress from its social media and a few choose teams of diaspora supporters that they (the leaders) keep away from talking in public about something negating the propaganda, even whether it is unfaithful or exaggerated.

Based on a celebration insider, in the course of the military chief’s final go to to the US, some protests have been organized by the PTI supporters there. A PTI chief from Pakistan contacted the celebration’s US chapter to cease them as they weren’t thought-about within the curiosity of Pakistan.

One other senior celebration chief mentioned that the PTI leaders haven’t any worry of businesses or regulation enforcers however of their aggressive followers and social media activists. Whereas referring to the current PTI’s march to Islamabad, a supply mentioned that the KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur seemed to be a hostage to the hostile crowd he was apparently main.

The supply added that after Bushra Bibi repeatedly addressed the rally and resolved to march to D-Chowk Islamabad, Gandapur was completely helpless and knew that the charged crowd wouldn’t enable him to take a unique stance. Gandapur and different high key celebration leaders have been inclined to cease the march at Sangjani.

Through the current background contacts between the federal government and the PTI, a celebration chief requested this correspondent to not point out the names of these in touch with the federal government for an amicable answer in any other case they and their homes could also be attacked by the celebration’s aggressive followers.

Data Secretary Shaikh, when approached, mentioned that these working on-road display campaigns within the US towards the military and its chief are doing it on their very own and there’s neither such coverage nor any route from the PTI. He mentioned that these concerned in these malicious campaigns are additionally not listening to us (PTI management).

Relating to the PTI social media, he mentioned that the celebration doesn’t have any paid social media. It includes volunteers, supporters, and voters of the celebration. He mentioned that almost all of those social media activists are younger and act in response to their very own will and desires. 

“They don’t seem to be managed by us,” he mentioned, including that social media is even in any other case not in charge of anybody. Relating to the PTI’s official social media platforms, Shaikh mentioned that these platforms are managed by PTI males, a few of them are in Pakistan, and others are working from overseas.



Initially printed in The Information