A public dispute within the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has broken into the open after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati accused party insiders of pocketing 75 percent of donations sent by overseas Pakistanis for the 2024 general election campaign. The allegation, made during a road project inauguration in Torghar, has drawn a swift legal challenge from a fellow party lawmaker. Main Developments Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Rs980 million Dilbori Gali-Machasar Torghar Road—a World Bank-funded project—Swati claimed that a faction within the PTI had embezzled a large portion of funds wired by overseas supporters for the 2024 election campaign. He did not name specific individuals but asserted that 75 percent of the donated money had been misused. MPA Laiq Mohammad Khan, brother of PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati, responded by announcing he would take the speaker to court. Khan demanded that the speaker identify the direct beneficiaries of the diverted funds and insisted the matter be examined within the party to determine how much money was received and who profited from it. Read also: Why Balochistan's Operation Al-Azm marks a turning point in security Background Party sources indicated that while Babar Swati refrained from naming anyone in his speech, the remarks were widely interpreted as targeting Senator Azam Khan Swati, who had publicly raised corruption allegations against the speaker earlier this year. The tension between the two PTI figures has now escalated into a public rift with legal implications. Swati also credited former PTI divisional president Zargul Khan—who left the party before the 2024 elections—for securing development projects in Torghar and for the creation of Baffa-Pakhal and Darband tehsils in Mansehra district. Laiq Mohammad Khan countered that the development funds for Torghar were the result of his own efforts and those of successive chief ministers, including Mehmood Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, and Mohammad Sohail Afridi. Why It Matters The public accusation of embezzlement undermines the PTI’s narrative of transparency and its reliance on overseas donations as a pillar of its electoral strategy. With legal action now threatened, the dispute could lead to internal party proceedings or even court-ordered disclosures about the handling of foreign funds, potentially damaging the party’s reputation ahead of future elections. What's Next Laiq Mohammad Khan has pledged to challenge Swati’s allegations in court and to raise the foreign funding issue within PTI’s internal forums. The party may face pressure to investigate the claims or clarify its position publicly. No date has been set for a court hearing or party meeting on the matter.