ISLAMABAD - An open criticism of firebrand politician Fawad Chaudhry on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for its “flawed political strategy” has resulted in the ouster of his brother Faisal Chaudhry from the party’s legal team. With this, an intense fight is underway between PTI lawyers and two ‘Chaudhry brothers’ of Jhelum. Both politicians and lawyers by profession. While a senior party leader labelled the ouster of Faisal from the Legal Committee as a result of “collateral damage” due to Fawad’s continuous “bombardment” on the PTI leadership, Secretary General of the party Salman Akram Raja is the latest victim to this salvo. A day earlier, senior lawyer Raja had expelled Faisal from the PTI’s legal team after he along with other members met with former prime minister Imran Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. Former information minister and disgruntled PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had been criticizing the party leadership for quite some time for their alleged faulty strategy to bring ex-premier Khan out of jail and to make the Islamabad protest a failed venture to block the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment.
On social media, he has been critical to existing central leadership of the party labelling them as incompetent and newcomers. Among them are also Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz and senior Lawyer Hamid Khan. Raja is the latest addition in the list of his opponents. Despite all this, Faisal remained a key member of the legal team, representing the PTI chief in many petitions to get relief for him till he was removed by Raja. Fawad is now carping the secretary general on many grounds including for his physical absence in the Islamabad protest earlier this month and for being legal counsel of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers scandal. Even after his ouster from the Legal Committee, Faisal on Saturday filed a petition, in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), concerning health issues being faced by Imran Khan and about unavailability of entitled facilities to him in jail.
Hours later, Chairman PTI Gohar Ali Khan in a statement on X clarified that the petition was not filed on the directions of the committee. “Another petition would be filed on Monday and both petitions would be argued by our own lawyers designated by the Legal Committee,” he said.
Minutes later, Secretary Information PTI Sheikh Waqas Akram in a post on X said the party stood by the decision of the secretary general to oust Faisal from the committee.
PTI leader Raoof Hasan came out with more critical remarks against the two brothers.
“Faisal Chaudhry’s entry into the arena is a sinister attempt to create divisions within PTI,” he said in a statement and added, “Having failed in similar previous efforts, the tout-brothers have been let loose to carry forth the agenda.”