ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s leadership is facing internal pushback after a PTI memo set out a stricter chain of command for officeholders and warned against bypassing party tiers, Jan. 5, 2026.
Party officials say the PTI memo was intended to streamline organisational work and clarify election-management appointments, but critics inside the opposition party argue it concentrates authority at the top during a turbulent reorganisation.
PTI memo lays out a chain of command — and triggers a backlash
The internal directive, signed by PTI Additional Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi, instructs central and provincial office-bearers to report through defined lines to the secretary general, while district-level leaders route issues through regional leadership, according to Dawn’s report on the memo.
The PTI memo says “no tier can break this chain of command” and that the secretary general will set duties with cabinet approval at each level. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram called it “the need of the hour,” saying it was tied to the party’s Election Management and Assessment Cell, or EMAC, and its “block code” appointment process, Dawn reported.
Some leaders privately criticised the PTI memo as “one-man rule” and compared it to running the party like an “army unit.” Dawn reported that Secretary General Salman Akram Raja is serving in an acting capacity and that Naqvi signed the directive because his post carries signatory authority even without an intra-party election.
Political committee shake-up raises the stakes
The PTI memo landed days before the party announced a reconstituted 23-member political committee, following jailed founder Imran Khan’s move to dissolve the previous, larger panel amid concerns about leaks, as detailed by The Express Tribune.
A separate party notification said the new committee will serve as the party’s top decision-making forum, convene at least weekly and implement decisions through the central secretariat, according to Dawn’s coverage of the reconstitution. The committee includes PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Raja, Naqvi and senior parliamentary and provincial figures, and it also adds representatives linked to an opposition alliance, the reports said.
Continuity: the PTI memo is the latest flash point in a longer organisational struggle
PTI’s leadership and organisational structure have been strained since mid-2023, when more than 80 senior members quit in the weeks after unrest tied to Khan’s arrest, as Al Jazeera reported.
In January 2024, Pakistan’s Supreme Court backed a decision that stripped PTI of its traditional “cricket bat” election symbol after disputes over intra-party elections, Reuters reported — a ruling that further complicated questions of party structure and authority.
What happens next
Supporters of the new rules say the PTI memo is a practical bid to enforce discipline and prevent leaks while Khan remains behind bars. Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 17 years in prison each in a graft case involving alleged misuse of state gifts, according to Reuters.
But critics inside the party warn that enforcing the PTI memo too rigidly could deepen factions if it is seen as silencing internal debate. Whether the revamped political committee can turn the new chain of command into a coherent strategy — without more public infighting — will be a key test for Pakistan’s biggest opposition force.
