Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan on Thursday announced he has stepped down as the secretary general of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding this will allow him to focus on his role in Parliament.
In a posting on X, he thanked PTI founder Imran Khan for accepting his resignation, which he said he had tendered on June 22. “There will be further changes made in the organizational structure of PTI in the coming days, as directed by [Imran Khan],” he added.
The resignation letter, which was also shared by Ayub on X, states that it is not possible for Omar to continue as the party’s secretary general as he cannot “do justice” to the role while also serving as opposition leader. “Both positions demand complete attention and given the parliamentary workload in addition to the commitments of the constituency I represent in the National Assembly, I feel that another person should be the secretary general to organize the party structure and work under your guidance to prepare PTI for the elections in the near future,” he wrote.
The resignation claims Ayub would also step down as chairman of the PTI’s Central Finance Board while continuing to serve as a party worker.
The resignation points to reports of fissures within the PTI, ostensibly due to differences over how to proceed with efforts to secure the release of Imran Khan, who remains incarcerated at Adiala Jail. Some fallout of this was visible on Thursday after an Islamabad court rejected Khan and Bushra Bibi’s pleas for suspension of their sentences in the Iddat case, with footage showing a PTI supporter warning Ayub of pushback if “anything” happened to Khan.
Additionally, multiple reports emerged this week of a looming forward bloc comprising party dissidents in the National Assembly, though party leaders have denied this. Reportedly, there is also tension between the party’s “old guard” that led it prior to the May 9, 2023 riots and the newcomers who are currently at its helm.