PTI KP President Junaid Akbar announces separation after voice note leak

A political crisis has erupted within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after leaked voice notes of the party’s provincial president, Junaid Akbar, surfaced, in which he announced his decision to disassociate himself from the party’s parliamentary group, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Tuesday.

According to the leaked audio messages, Junaid Akbar strongly criticised PTI’s senior leadership in the provincial assembly and rejected the authority of both the parliamentary leader and the chief whip. 

He complained that despite holding a firm political stance, he was repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak on the floor of the House.

In the voice notes, Akbar said he would write a formal letter to the Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, requesting that he be treated as separate from PTI. 

He alleged that certain individuals were unfairly controlling speaking slots, preventing others from participating in parliamentary debates.

Questioning the party’s internal decision-making, he asked who had empowered the parliamentary leader and chief whip to decide who would speak in the assembly on a given day. 

He remarked that the same members were allowed to speak daily, while others were sidelined.

Expressing frustration, Akbar said that lawmakers appeared to attend the assembly merely for formality, adding that he had last spoken during the Ramadan session and the budget debate in the previous year. 

He described the situation as deeply discouraging and humiliating for sidelined members.

The leaked audio has triggered fresh debate about internal divisions within PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, with party leaders yet to issue an official response to Akbar’s statements.

Reporter: Tayyab Saif