PTI chairman declines to notify ‘IK Release Force’

ISLAMABAD: Although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has told the Constitutional Court that the proposed “Imran Khan Release Force” was never formed, the reality is that he was among those pushing hard for its creation.

However, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan refused to notify or formally approve the proposed organisation, leading to the plan being shelved.

The initiative was aggressively pursued by a section of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, including Afridi, but ultimately came to nothing after the party chairman gave it a categorical “no”.

According to party sources, the chief minister was determined to establish the force and had publicly announced plans to organise, register and administer oaths to volunteers as part of a campaign for the release of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

However, the proposal never translated into an officially notified organisation because PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan firmly refused to approve it, arguing that the creation of such a force would be unconstitutional and illegal. He is said to have cautioned the party leadership that a formally constituted “force” could expose PTI to serious legal consequences and even invite allegations of militancy. The issue has gained renewed significance after the chief minister informed the Constitutional Court that no “IK Release Force” was ever formed. While that statement is technically correct, party insiders maintain that the force remained only an unimplemented proposal because it was blocked by the party chairman despite the chief minister’s insistence on its creation.

The controversy had first surfaced few months back when the chief minister announced plans for a dedicated “Imran Khan Release Force” to mobilise supporters. The proposal envisaged a structured organisation with registered members taking an oath before participating in the campaign.

Following strong objections from within the party, however, the idea was abandoned. Instead, PTI replaced it with a broader political movement open to all supporters, eliminating the concepts of formal membership, oath-taking and any organisational structure resembling a force.

The revised strategy was deliberately designed to remain within constitutional and democratic limits while avoiding an impression that the party was creating a parallel organisation. The party also decided that decisions regarding the timing and launch of any future street movement would not rest with the KP chief minister. Instead, such decisions would be taken in consultation with the opposition alliance under the leadership of National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai.

The abandonment of “IK Release Force” was widely viewed within the PTI as a victory for party’s moderate leadership over hardliners who had favoured a more confrontational approach.