Sher Afzal Marwat has questioned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ability to carry out its planned march, saying that he could see the provincial government “go” while questioning the party’s ability to mobilise the numbers it has publicly claimed.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Marwat said the party had been unable to effectively conduct political campaigns in its own constituencies, while now claiming it could bring between 20 and 40 lakh people onto the streets and overthrow the government.
“They just can’t do it. They don’t have the capability,” Marwat said, questioning the feasibility of such a mobilisation.
He accused the party of wasting the previous 11 months instead of preparing for a major political movement, and criticised its handling of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), accusing its leadership of contributing to the province’s current conditions.
Marwat also questioned the decision to set a two-month deadline, suggesting that PTI leadership appeared to expect large numbers of people to take to the streets simply because a call had been issued.
“Go ahead, bring them out then,” he said, challenging the party to demonstrate its ability to mobilise supporters.
The PTI leader also referred to the party’s mobilisation following the May 9 events, arguing that bringing large crowds onto the streets required sustained organisation and effort.
“Let’s see if you can match how we brought out millions of Pakistanis after May 9th,” Marwat challenged, stressing the scale of work he believed was required to organise such demonstrations.
He added that the political circumstances were different at the time, noting that those involved in organising the mobilisation were not holding government positions.
“Back then, we weren’t ministers, we weren’t Chief Ministers, and we weren’t even MNAs,” he pointed out.
Marwat’s remarks come amid PTI’s continuing plans for street mobilisation and internal debate over the party’s strategy.
