Pakistan: Ruling PTI's internal turmoil causes discomfort to Imran Khan govt

The internal turmoil among the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers is apparent with each passing day causing discomfort to the Imran Khan government at a time when the opposition is trying to build up pressure on the government. Earlier this week, two leaders of the PTI became defiant against their own federal government's policies and performance with one of them holding his own party responsible for 'present chaos' in the country. Before this, a PTI ticket holder from Sargodha in Punjab joined Pakistan People's Party (PPP) following his meeting with the party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, according to the Nation.

At the same time, Islamabad is rife with rumours that over two dozen lawmakers of PTI are either in contact with opposition's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) or Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) before formally joining either of these two parties, according to the Nation. On last Thursday, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak who is also the central leader of PTI and former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the parliamentary party meeting of ruling party had entered into hard argument with Prime Minister Imran Khan over shortage of natural gas and ban on new connections of the utility in north-western province. A day after, PTI Member of National Assembly from Peshawar Noor Alam Khan also became critical of his own government and while speaking on the floor of National Assembly, accused the cabinet members including PM himself for 'present chaos' in the country and proposed to place their names on the no-fly list to get the country out of this situation.