Leaked audio: Ali Muhammad hints PTI leaders flouted Imran Khan's Sangjani sit-in orders
1. PTI's aim was to hold negotiations via protests at party founder's orders, claims lawmaker
A leaked audio has revealed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan suggesting that party founder Imran Khan’s instructions to stage a “do-or-die” sit-in in Islamabad’s Sangjani area were allegedly disregarded by party leaders, who instead led supporters to D-Chowk.
The audio surfaced shortly after PTI abruptly postponed its march in the wake of a government crackdown on protesters trying to reach D-Chowk, a move that sparked widespread criticism within the former ruling party.
Questions are now being raised within the PTI parliamentary leadership about why supporters were directed to D-Chowk instead of following Imran Khan's directive to stage the sit-in in Sangjani.
In the leaked audio, which Ali confirmed as his during a conversation with Geo News, the PTI leader stated that Imran Khan had specifically ordered that the protest camp be set up in Sangjani, not in D-Chowk in the Red Zone.
"The PTI founder did not ask us to go to D-Chowk, he said the sit-in would be in Islamabad, and the final location would be determined once the party members reached the city," Ali said in the recording.
He also questioned who gave the order for the protesters to head to D-Chowk when Khan’s instructions were clear. "Imran Khan had mentioned this in the presence of Barrister Gohar, Faisal Chaudhry, and others," Ali added.
The leader also raised concerns over the involvement of Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, questioning why she made the call instead of party chairman Gohar. "Imran Khan had said there was no place for hereditary politics in PTI, so why did Aleema Khan call the protest herself?" Ali questioned, noting that Khan had emphasized that the party leadership would make such decisions.
Ali further explained that the goal of the protests, as per Imran Khan’s orders, was to facilitate negotiations. He claimed that Khan was unaware of Bushra Bibi’s presence at the protest, a detail that was reportedly communicated to him by Barrister Gohar.
"The PTI chairman and secretary general should have announced that the sit-in would take place in Sangjani," Ali said. He also noted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had agreed to the same.
"We should have followed our leader’s orders and stopped in Sangjani. No one, including Bushra Bibi, has the authority to override the founder-chairman's decision," he added. "When Barrister Saif conveyed the founder chairman's message, we should have acted on it."
