By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Two top aides to former Prime Minister Imran Khan resigned from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Wednesday, deepening the political crisis in the country and raising tensions between Khan’s party and the powerful military.
Asad Umar, a former finance minister, and Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a former information minister, resigned from their positions in the PTI party.
Their resignations come amid a crackdown by the government on PTI supporters following violent protests on May 9, when Khan was arrested on corruption charges.
Khan has accused the military of orchestrating the protests in order to oust him from politics.
Umar, however, did not quit the party like his former colleagues Shireen Mazari, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, and several others who bid adieu to the PTI in recent days.
Umar said he was not quitting the party offices “under pressure” — a statement in contrast to claims made by the PTI chairman, who accused the powers that be of coercing members to exit.
The PTI leader, at a press conference in Islamabad, said he remained the secretary general of the party for 17 months, of which the past 13 were “the most difficult time” for the PTI.
Umar said he had spent 15 days in jail and added that everyone had condemned the riots as shocking.
“I would say a transparent inquiry should be held as thousands of persons are under arrest [for alleged role in violence]. Those who were involved should be punished.”
The PTI leader said that he had no pressure to quit the party and that is why he decided to resign from party positions and will remain associated with the party.
Chaudhry, who was the senior vice president of the PTI, also parted ways with Khan in a tweet posted on his social media platform.
“Ref. my earlier statement where I unequivocally condemned 9th May incidents, I have decided to take a break from politics, therefore, I have resigned from party position and parting ways from [sic] Imran Khan,” he said in a tweet while referring to his media talk after release from jail.
In a video message on Wednesday, Khan said he was willing to form a committee to hold talks with the military, but he vowed to continue fighting for his political rights.
“I am ready to form a committee today,” Khan said. “A negotiating committee that would hold talks with the powerful people today,” he added, referring to Pakistan’s military establishment.
“If they can convince this committee that Pakistan will function better without Imran Khan and that they have a solution, I’ll say it again; I am ready to leave [politics] for the sake of this country. I’ll step back.”
Khan said he is also willing to step back and leave everything aside if “those who are in power today” inform the committee about the benefits of holding elections in October and not before.
Khan appealed to his supporters to stay steadfast in the facing of growing hostility and stand by his side.
“Your captain is standing till there is blood in his body,” he said. “Your captain fights till the last ball, there is no question of accepting defeat. Whatever they are going to do, I am ready for it,” he added.
The former prime minister says over 10,000 of his supporters across the country are languishing in jails on charges relating to the maintenance of public order.
Khan, who has been calling for snap elections since his ouster from office last year, has accused the government of initiating the crackdown against his supporters to “crush” the PTI ahead of the upcoming general elections, a charge the government denies.
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