Daily Times

Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary party on Friday unanimously approved a resolution against accepting the party’s Secretary General Omar Ayub’s resignation.

In a surprising development, top PTI leader Omar on Thursday stepped down as the secretary-general of the Imran Khan-founded party “to focus” on his role as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan.

The politician said that the PTI founder had accepted his resignation that he had tendered on June 22, 2024, via a letter addressed to jailed former prime minister and party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.

However, a meeting of the PTI lawmakers earlier today okayed a resolution calling for not accepting the opposition leader’s resignation and expressing complete trust in his leadership as the secretary general of the party.

The resolution proposed Omar’s continuation of services as the PTI secretary general.

As the rifts in the former ruling party widened, the resolution also condemned the reports of the potential formation of a forward bloc by some disgruntled PTI leaders.

“There is no truth in the reports regarding any forward bloc in PTI. All members are united under the leadership of the party founder and lifetime chairman,” it stated.

Earlier in the day, senior leader Sher Afzal Marwat demanded resignation from PTI stalwart Shibli Faraz, saying that the party will only then be freed from the “qabza mafia”.

“I demand the resignation of Shibli Faraz from party positions and as leader of the Opposition in Senate,” said Marwat, who has been at loggerheads with Faraz and other party leaders.

In May, the outspoken jurist-turned-politician also refused to work with Senator Faraz and Omar, saying they didn’t allow him to meet incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

While announcing his resignation, Omar on Wednesday revealed that more changes would be made in the organisational structure of the PTI in the coming days on the directions of the party founder.

“I want to thank all members of the PTI family, Parliamentarians, and Tanzeem Office Holders who have worked tirelessly and braved tremendous hardships for [ex] PM Imran Khan sahib and PTI,” he had written in a post on X.