Islamabad: PTI faces questions within its leadership over the failure of its September 27 protest march, with members of the party's core committee examining how the date was announced and why mobilisation failed, Dawn reported.

The discussions have exposed differences over decision making, coordination and responsibility for the protest, although party officials have publicly rejected claims of divisions within the leadership.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja addressed the controversy on Sunday, denying reports of disagreements during the core committee meeting and defending Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.

In a post on X, Raja described Afridi as committed to PTI founder Imran Khan's political ideology but acknowledged the need to review the administrative arrangements behind the protest.

He also accused critics of misrepresenting committee discussions to create divisions among party members.

According to a party leader who attended the meeting and spoke to Dawn on condition of anonymity, the committee began examining the circumstances surrounding the protest's failure during a session that lasted from after 10 pm on Saturday until after 2 am.

Sixteen members were given an opportunity to speak, while others are expected to present their views in subsequent meetings.

The source claimed that questions were raised over Afridi's announcement of September 27 as the protest date without consultation with the party's political and core committees.

Members were reportedly told that Afridi discussed the march at an August meeting in KP attended by Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja, Asad Qaiser and other party figures.

However, members responsible for coordinating the mobilisation allegedly did not receive details of the protest's operational arrangements.

Ali Asghar Khan, PTI's secretary general in KP and head of the protest coordination committee, reportedly told the meeting that he had not been informed of the arrangements despite requesting details from Afridi and Junaid Akbar.

The disclosure drew criticism from committee members, particularly over reports that authorities had arrested more than 1,400 party workers and leaders under the Maintenance of Public Order law without a coordinated protest strategy in place.

The committee also examined negotiations between the government and opposition, including disagreements over whether an agreement could proceed without consultation with Imran Khan.

According to another party source, Haleem Adil Sheikh attributed 70 percent of the responsibility for the failure of negotiations to the opposition and 30 percent to the government.

Members also discussed reports about the proposed establishment of district level offices for the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz e Aman (TTP), with Barrister Gohar reportedly denying he had authorised the move.

During the meeting, Seemabia Tahir proposed organising another protest march, but most members reportedly opposed the suggestion, citing the prevailing circumstances.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram declined to comment when approached by Dawn.

The committee's discussions are expected to continue as members assess the party's protest strategy and the decisions that contributed to the failure of the September 27 mobilisation.