ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan’s anti-government drive is in dire straits amid a significant rebellion within his party.

The cricketer-turned politician is not ready to give up to wait for the 2018 polls to potentially replace Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif but in recent weeks around two dozen lawmakers from the National Assembly and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have indicated his own squad was failing to jell as a team.

The party said Imran Khan has been able to reconcile with 20 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly who had revolted against Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

But the Members of the National Assembly - Dawar Kundi, Amirullah Marwat, Sajid Nawaz, Khayal Zaman Afridi and Junaid Akbar – are yet to change their mind. Sources said Imran Khan has also not contacted until now.

Despite the ‘troubled home’, Imran Khan says his party will hit the streets after Ramazan to carry out the accountability of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his offshore wealth. “We will take to streets at every cost even if other parties decide against it,” he said.

Imran Khan said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was using delaying tactics on the issue of Terms of Reference, alleging the ruling party would try to buy loyalties of politicians. “PTI is not alone as people are with us,” he added.

The PTI chief threatened to bring 10 per cent Pakistanis out into streets to demand Nawaz Sharif’s accountability if TOR were delayed.

The PTI rebels have levelled accusations of corruption against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government and its ministers.

Insiders said these members want Imran Khan to remove Pervez Khattak for the rest of the two years of the mandated five-year term that ends in 2018 to bring the promised change.

Imran Khan, a close aide told The Nation, did not buy the idea but had promised to look after the rebels’ interests. He said the PTI chief was in tension due to internal rifts and had tasked his top leaders to placate the rebels.

At a time when the PTI chief is accusing the PML-N government of corruption, its own members are levelling the same allegations against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. They believe the funds of the entire province were being spent on three districts, including Naushera, Mardan and Swabi.

PTI leader Chaudhry Mohammed Sarwar said those who wanted division in the opposition ranks amid the Panama Leaks would be disappointed. He said the PTI would never hesitate to make any sacrifice for the war on corruption.

The former Punjab Governor said PTI wanted accountability of the corrupt people in Pakistan at all costs.

He said people were praying to get rid of the incompetent rulers in Ramazan because of making Pakistan the hub of all problems.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi denied any rifts within the party and said some elements were trying to shift the attention from ‘government’s corruption.’

Qureshi, who is also Vice Chairman of PTI, said that the government was not interested in probing the Panama Leaks.

Close aides of Imran Khan said he was satisfied with the running of the party and was planning to launch the re-organisation process after Ramazan. “There are smaller differences but these have been overcome. There is no big rift,” claimed a senior PTI leader.

PML-N Senator Nehal Hashmi said Imran Khan has been involved in the politics of sit-ins, unconstitutional protests, and baseless allegations without solid the evidences.

He said several members of the PTI themselves were not satisfied with the leadership’s protest spree.

Another PML-N leader Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pir Sabir Shah said the main dream of Imran Khan was to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, “but it will remain a dream.”

“Imran Khan has also been involved in expressing reservations on China Pakistan Economic Corridor that will bring an economic stability to the country. Imran Khan is following the agenda of anti-Pakistan forces,” he added.

Former PTI leader Akbar S Babar said the dual standard of Imran Khan was beyond understanding. “Imran Khan needs to eliminate the corruption from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where PTI is in power,” he said.

Babar said Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been involved in corruption in the Forest Department of the province.

“Many leaders have asked Imran Khan to resign from chairmanship of the party but instead of doing that he is supporting the corrupt elements of his party,” he contended.