Shaukat Yousafzai criticises PTI leadership for protest absence

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and ex-provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai expressed strong criticism of the party leadership for its handling of the recent protest in Islamabad. 

Addressing the aftermath of the protest and the treatment of party workers, Yousafzai, while speaking during Geo News' programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath", accused the leadership of failing its members and making flawed decisions.

In a scathing remark, Yousafzai emphasised the lack of leadership presence during critical moments of the protest, saying: "Entire families have been ruined; leadership did not come forward then, and still isn’t coming forward." 

He pointed out that while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Bushra Bibi, PTI founder Imran Khan's wife, led workers to the protest site, the rest of the leadership remained conspicuously absent. 

"Ali Amin and Bushra Bibi led the workers to the protest site, but the rest of the leadership was nowhere to be seen," he said.

He also criticised the leadership for allowing non-political individuals to influence key decisions, adding: "Bushra Bibi is a non-political individual. Even if she was insistent, was the party leadership so weak to allow this?"

Yousafzai accused the leadership of failing to protect workers who came to protest peacefully, saying: "Our workers came to Islamabad to protest, not to face bullets." 

He condemned the government’s use of force, saying: "You fire bullets and expect our workers to stand firm—are they made of steel?"

He highlighted the tragic outcomes, including the return of a worker’s body, as evidence of the protest’s mismanagement and government’s heavy handed response. 

"One of our workers’ bodies has been returned to us," he lamented, adding: "They are firing bullets and mocking that people ran away."

Addressing internal divisions, Yousafzai criticised the decision-making process within PTI. "If there were differences within the party leadership, why was the protest planned in the first place?" he asked. 

He suggested that staging a sit-in at Attock would have been a more strategic option, saying, "If the leadership had any understanding, they would have staged a sit-in in Attock itself."

He also questioned the effectiveness of PTI’s central leadership, saying: "Decisions are made by central leaders, not provincial presidents or local leadership." 

Yousafzai urged the leadership to take responsibility for its decisions, adding: "If no one was listening to you, you should have resigned immediately and informed us."

Despite his criticisms, Yousafzai reaffirmed PTI’s status as a popular political party but urged its leadership to step forward and lead with accountability. "PTI is a popular political party, and its leadership needs to step forward," he said.

The Islamabad protest, called by PTI founder Khan, began on November 24 and was touted as a "do-or-die" march against the government. 

The party’s demands included the release of political prisoners, the reversal of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, and the restoration of what they termed their "stolen mandate."

The protest saw PTI party workers gathering in Islamabad’s Red Zone, but the demonstration turned violent after clashes with law enforcement. 

The government reported the martyrdom of three Rangers and two police personnel, while PTI claimed that eight of its members were killed.

A midnight crackdown by law enforcement dispersed the protesters and led to the temporary suspension of the protest. 

PTI leadership announced the decision through a press release, citing concerns for the safety of unarmed workers and the government’s alleged plans to escalate violence.

Khan's aides alleged, without immediately providing evidence, that hundreds had suffered gunshot wounds during chaotic scenes overnight in the heart of Islamabad as police dispersed protesters led by Khan's wife who had broken through security barricades. 

Islamabad's police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied that live ammunition had been used during the operation, which he said police had conducted alongside paramilitary forces.

PTI also said thousands had been arrested. Rizvi said 600 protesters had been arrested in Tuesday's operation, bringing the total since the protest sit-in began on Sunday to 954.

He said weapons, including automatic rifles and tear gas guns, were seized from the protest site where thousands had gathered. The site was cleared in a matter of hours.