Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat has once again criticised his party leadership over unsatisfactory performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where it is currently in power for the third consecutive term.
Addressing a workers’ convention in Abbottabad, the PTI leader pointed out the lack of facilities in the province and said that had people voted on the basis of performance, PTI would never have come to power again.
Marwat also highlighted the persisting security situation, backwardness and lack of infrastructure in KP. “We cannot label backwardness as progress nor can we term deception as the truth.”
“The people of KP have voted for PTI three times in a row and now it is the PTI’s turn to deliver for the people of the province,” Marwat stressed. He also suggested that party leadership must accept past mistakes and realise that party performance was not up to the mark in KP.
Marwat, who is known for his candid and brut remarks, even against his own party, often faces backlashes for his statements both within and without the PTI.
In May, Marwat was kicked out of PTI’s core and political committees on the direction of party founder Imran Khan following his remarks about Saudi Arabia. Marwat, in an interview, had alleged that Saudia Arabia was behind Khan’s ouster from power.
In August, PTI’s official handle on X, formerly Twitter, announced the cancellation of Marwat’s basic party membership for a “gross violation/ breach” of discipline.
While the notification had gone viral, PTI chief Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had termed it “fake”.
“The notification regarding the cancellation of Sher Afzal Marwat’s membership is fake. It’s not possible,” Gohar had said, hinting at possible differences within the party leadership over Marwat’s fate.
The notification also claimed that Marwat had been directed to “restrict himself and his statements to within the limitation as outlined in the letter. A committee was also set up to monitor his statements, media appearances and tweets.”
The recent-most controversy surrounding Marwat also involved PTI leader Salman Akram Raja.
“Sher Afzal Marwat must control himself. We are giving him a chance if he wants to play a role in the party. If he does not show discipline, we will take action,” Raja had said.
Marwat, on the other hand, claims that his relation with PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan remains “strong as ever”.