By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Asad Umar, a former planning minister and a senior leader of the opposition Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, announced on Saturday that he was quitting politics and leaving the party, citing policy differences over its confrontational stance toward state institutions.
Umar, who resigned as the secretary general of the party in May after countrywide violent protests broke out following the arrest of the party chief, Imran Khan, said he was also giving up his basic membership of the party.
“After more than one decade in public life, I have decided to completely quit politics,” Umar wrote on X, a social media platform.
Umar, who was once a close aide of Khan, did not indicate joining any other party, unlike many other defectors who have switched to the newly formed Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party or the PTI Parliamentarians, both of which are allegedly allied with the military establishment.
Umar said he had publicly stated earlier that he disagreed with the party’s policy of confrontation with state institutions, which he said had led to a serious clash that was not in the interest of the country.
He thanked his supporters and voters from his constituency in Islamabad, where he was elected twice to the National Assembly.
“I have tried my best to serve the constituency that I was elected from. May Allah’s blessings shine upon the Pakistani nation,” he said.
Another party leader, Taimur Khan Jhagra, who was the finance minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, expressed regret over Umar’s departure and praised his role in managing the Covid-19 crisis through the National Command and Operation Centre, a body that coordinates the country’s response to the pandemic.
“His departure from politics is a loss, and no one’s gain,” Jhagra tweeted. “I hope there can be more space in politics for professionals who have something to offer. Not less.”
PTI leader Hammad Azhar said he was saddened by Umar’s decision to quit the party and politics.
“PTI attracted professionals and educated individuals to take part in active politics. Forcing ppl like Asad to quit politics whilst promoting the likes of Sharjeel Memons, Tessoris, Rana Sanas wont do Pakistan any good and will also not work,” he wrote on X.
Dozens of senior leaders of Khan’s party have quit in recent months. However, their public announcements largely followed a striking identical script: The party leader would call a news conference, often after being released from jail. They would begin their address by condemning the unrest before declaring their abiding commitment and love for Pakistan and its influential military. They would then conclude by saying they were quitting PTI and taking a break from politics or, in some cases, announce a complete retirement.
Another way of announcing leaving Khan’s party is the leader went missing for few weeks and suddenly appeared in a new channel and interviews by some shadowy TV presenter, accusing Khan of masterminding the May 9 violence against the military.
Khan was forced from office after losing the 2022 no-confidence vote and he then launched a campaign to oust the coalition government of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif to push for an early general election, and against the military, which he accused of trying to sideline him.
Khan has had dozens of legal cases filed against him, which he has denounced as an effort to banish him from politics. He has been convicted in one graft case and sentenced to three years in jail. The sentence was suspended but he remains in prison in connection with other cases, including instigating violence and the official secrets case.
A guilty verdict under the Official Secrets Act could bring up to 14 years in prison or even a death sentence.
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