Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sources claim that despite support from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan refused to approve a proposed “Imran Khan Release Force,” preventing it from being formally established.
According to party sources, the proposed body was intended to organise volunteers for a campaign seeking the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. The plan reportedly included volunteer registration and an oath-taking process.
The sources say Barrister Gohar opposed the proposal, arguing that creating such a force could raise constitutional and legal concerns. He reportedly warned that formally establishing the organisation could expose the party to serious legal consequences and allegations of militancy.
As a result, the proposal was never officially approved or notified and remained only a draft initiative, according to the sources.
The issue resurfaced after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister informed the Federal Constitutional Court that no “Imran Khan Release Force” had ever been established. Party sources maintain that while this statement is technically correct, the proposal had been discussed internally but was ultimately abandoned after it failed to receive the chairman’s approval.
According to the same sources, PTI later opted to launch a broader, peaceful political movement open to supporters instead of creating a structured organisation with formal membership, oath-taking or a force-like framework, in an effort to remain within constitutional and democratic limits.
The sources further claim that the party also decided future protest movements would be planned in consultation with the opposition alliance led by National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai rather than being directed solely by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister.
PTI has not issued an official response to these internal claims. The assertions in the report are attributed to party sources.
