Pakistani police on Sunday searched the home of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan, ARY News reported, but Ayub said the federal and provincial governments were trying to arrest him.
After the Sargodha Anti-Terrorism Court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Ayub, police officers entered his house in Sector F-10 and conducted a search operation.
Following the incident, Omar Ayub said that the federal and provincial governments are trying to arrest him. He said the struggle will continue for the party’s rights and until the PTI leader becomes prime minister, according to ARY News.
Notably, the PTI has rejected the resignation of Omar Ayub Khan. Citing a party statement, News International reported that Omar Ayub said he would continue in his post as per the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan.
In June, Omar Ayub stepped down as PTI secretary-general “to focus” on his role as Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly. However, the PTI’s core committee and parliamentary parties opposed his resignation and asked him to retract his decision to step down from the party’s coveted post.
In an official statement, the party said Omar Ayub would continue as PTI’s Secretary General and contribute his political experience and leadership skills to the party.
“The core committees of the Congress Party and the PTI respectively through unanimous resolutions have reposed confidence in him, praised his services and requested him to continue as Secretary General of the PTI,” the statement said.
“PTI said Imran Khan also thanked Omar Ayub for his contributions and acknowledged his service to the party. On June 22, 2024, Omar Ayub submitted his resignation through a letter addressed to PTI founder Imran Khan and PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan.”
In his resignation letter, Omar Ayub said further changes would be made in the PTI’s organisational structure in the coming days as per the instructions of the former Pakistani prime minister.
The move comes amid reports of rifts within the PTI, with 27 members of the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) considering quitting parliament in protest against the PTI’s top leadership, The News International reported, citing a Geo News report.
According to sources, 21 of the 27 lawmakers had hinted at forming a Forward Alliance in reaction to the PTI leadership’s failure to secure Imran Khan’s release.
