Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan reportedly refused to approve a proposal to establish an “Imran Khan Release Force,” despite support from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, according to party sources.
The development comes after the chief minister informed the Constitutional Court that the proposed organisation was never actually formed. While that statement is technically accurate, party insiders claim that the idea had been actively pursued before ultimately being abandoned.
According to the report, Suhail Afridi was among the strongest advocates of creating the proposed force. However, Barrister Gohar neither approved the initiative nor authorised the issuance of an official notification, preventing the proposal from moving forward.
Sources within PTI said the proposal enjoyed backing from a section of the party leadership, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. Nevertheless, the plan was shelved after the party chairman firmly opposed it.
The proposed organisation was reportedly intended to mobilise volunteers in support of a campaign seeking the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. Under the plan, volunteers would have been registered, organised, and required to take an oath before participating in campaign activities.
However, Barrister Gohar reportedly argued that establishing such a force would be unconstitutional and unlawful. According to party sources, he warned that creating an organisation with that structure could expose PTI to serious legal consequences and potentially lead to allegations of militancy against the party.
The issue has regained attention after Suhail Afridi submitted a written response to the Constitutional Court stating that the “IK Release Force” had never come into existence. While the statement reflects the fact that no formal organisation was established, insiders maintain that the proposal remained at the planning stage only because it failed to receive the chairman’s approval.
The controversy first emerged several months ago when the chief minister publicly announced plans to establish a special “Imran Khan Release Force” to organise supporters and strengthen the campaign for the former prime minister’s release.
According to the proposal, the organisation would have had a formal membership structure, with registered volunteers taking an oath before joining campaign activities. However, the idea reportedly encountered strong objections from within PTI, leading to its eventual withdrawal.
Instead of creating a separate organisation, the party later decided to launch a broader political movement that would remain open to all supporters. Under the revised strategy, the concepts of formal membership, oath-taking, and a force-like organisational structure were abandoned.
Party sources said the revised approach was deliberately designed to remain within constitutional and democratic limits while avoiding any impression that PTI was establishing a parallel organisation outside the existing political framework.
The report also states that PTI decided future decisions regarding protests and public mobilisation would not be made solely by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. Instead, such decisions would be taken after consultation with the opposition alliance led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
Within PTI, the reported decision to abandon the proposed “Imran Khan Release Force” has been viewed by some party members as a sign that the party’s more moderate leadership prevailed over those advocating a more confrontational strategy.
The claims in this report are attributed to unnamed party sources and have not been independently verified. PTI has not issued an official statement confirming the internal deliberations described in the report.
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