A discreet meeting between senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ignited controversy within the party and raised eyebrows across Pakistan’s political landscape, particularly after it emerged that jailed PTI founder Imran Khan’s family had no prior knowledge of the engagement.
The meeting, held on May 14 at the residence of PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, brought together Gohar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi with the interior minister to discuss the deteriorating security situation in KP, especially following deadly terrorist attacks in Bannu district.
The encounter remained under wraps for nearly two weeks until a social media post falsely claimed that Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, had attended. Her swift denial on X inadvertently confirmed the meeting had taken place, triggering a wave of questions about internal party communication and potential back-channel contacts between PTI and the federal government.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram moved quickly to clarify the situation, telling media outlets that only Barrister Gohar and CM Afridi were present. He emphasized the meeting centered exclusively on terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the recent violence in Bannu where two police personnel and two civilians were martyred in clashes that also killed 25 militants.
According to Akram, the interior minister focused discussions on how terrorism could be controlled and how coordination between federal and provincial authorities could be strengthened to address the escalating security crisis.
Chief Minister Afridi later posted on social media confirming the meeting dealt with terrorist incidents in Bannu and the broader law and order situation in the province. He categorically denied any political discussions took place, pushing back against speculation that the encounter represented a thaw in relations between PTI and the government.
The timing of the meeting is significant. Just five days earlier, on May 9, a devastating attack struck a police outpost in Bannu when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the facility, followed by a coordinated assault involving heavy weaponry and drones. The attack, claimed by the newly emerged militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, prompted joint operations by the Pakistan Army, police and Counter Terrorism Department that killed 16 terrorists including two commanders.
Yet the secrecy surrounding the meeting has fueled debate within PTI circles and beyond. The fact that Imran Khan’s family was not informed has raised questions about internal coordination and whether the party leadership is operating independently while Khan remains incarcerated at Adiala Jail.
PTI has been under immense pressure on multiple fronts. The party continues pushing for Khan’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad after he was diagnosed in late January with a serious eye condition. Despite court orders allowing him two weekly meetings with family, lawyers and associates, he has reportedly been denied visitors for several weeks.
The emergence of this meeting adds another layer of complexity to Pakistan’s already volatile political landscape, where PTI remains locked in confrontation with the federal government even as its provincial administration in KP grapples with a worsening terrorism crisis that demands coordination across party lines.
Whether this represents genuine security cooperation or the beginning of quiet political dialogue remains unclear, but the controversy has exposed tensions within PTI about transparency and decision-making authority while its founder remains behind bars.
