Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership is divided over plans to support a nationwide shutdown strike announced for February 8, with senior lawmakers warning against road closures and a province-wide lockdown, sources said.
The strike has been called by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-Pakistan (TTAP) to mark the second anniversary of the 2024 general elections, which PTI and allied opposition parties continue to describe as rigged.
According to insiders, the PTI KP parliamentary party met earlier this week to finalise its approach to the protest, but the discussion exposed deep disagreements within the provincial leadership.
During the meeting, MNA Shahid Khattak reportedly argued that PTI had already secured a clear public mandate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and therefore had no political justification to shut down the province. He cautioned that road blockades and lockdown measures would primarily harm ordinary citizens and could damage the party’s standing in its strongest region.
MNA Atif Khan is said to have supported Khattak’s position, while Khattak also proposed compiling a list of party members who failed to participate in previous protests outside Adiala Jail.
Tensions reportedly escalated when KP PTI President Junaid Akbar voiced frustration over what he described as mounting internal pressures. He questioned whom the leadership was expected to satisfy, referring to party figures, workers, and lawmakers expressing competing demands.
Shahid Khattak confirmed that a candid exchange of views took place during the meeting and said he had openly warned that a lockdown would create unnecessary difficulties for the public.
Earlier, TTAP announced that the February 8 shutdown would be observed across the country, calling it a crucial moment in the struggle for the restoration of constitutional rights, protection of the vote, and democratic norms.
