In a major development, Omar Ayub Khan, a top leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has resigned as the party’s general secretary, Geo News reported. Ayub said he was stepping down from the post to focus on his responsibilities as Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly.
“I [former] “I would like to thank Prime Minister Imran Khan for accepting my resignation as PTI Secretary General so that I can focus on my role as Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly,” he posted on his official account X on Thursday.
Ayub said he had submitted his resignation on June 22, 2024 to jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and party chairman lawyer Gohar Ali Khan.
“Leader of Opposition in the Senate, Senator Shibli Faraz, has sent me a message [former] Prime Minister Imran Khan met him today at Adiyala Jail,” he added.
The NA Opposition leader further said that further changes would be made in the PTI’s organisational structure in the coming days as per the directions of the party founder.
“I would like to thank the entire PTI family, parliamentarians and Tanzeem functionaries, who have worked tirelessly and faced immense challenges. [ex] Prime Minister Imran Khan Sahib and PTI.”
read more: Biden and Trump to hold first presidential debate ahead of US election
The development comes amid reports of divisions within the PTI after Geo News, citing sources, had earlier reported that 27 lawmakers backed by the PTI’s Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) had discussed the possibility of quitting parliament in protest against the party’s top leadership. According to insiders, 21 of the 27 lawmakers suggested forming the Forward Alliance out of frustration over the party leadership’s failure to secure the release of party founder Imran Khan. They conveyed their concerns to PTI leader Barrister Gohar and secretary-general Omar Ayub, urging them to work seriously towards the release of the jailed leader.
Disgruntled lawmakers have complained that some party leaders are focused on gaining higher office rather than prioritizing the release of PTI founder and senior party leaders. Ayub took over as secretary-general of the PTI last year, succeeding his predecessor Asad Umar, who quit the party and retired from politics. According to a Geo News report, Umar was one of many party members who broke with Khan after violent protests on May 9 that targeted public and military installations.
Ayub’s resignation came in a blow to the PTI on the same day that an Islamabad local court rejected a plea for a stay of the prison terms of Khan and his wife, dashing hopes of the party founder’s release. Khan, who was ousted following an opposition vote of no confidence in April 2022, has faced multiple charges including corruption and terrorism since his ouster. He has been in custody since August last year after being convicted in the Tosha Khana case and subsequent cases leading up to the February 8 election.
Despite legal victories in other cases such as the €190 million Reference case and the Tosha Khana case, as well as being acquitted in the crypto case earlier this month, Khan remains incarcerated for his conviction in the Idat case.
See also: Residents flee Shejaiya as shelling intensifies in Gaza City
