ISLAMABAD: Former Planning Minister Asad Umar, who stepped down as the PTI’s secretary-general in May following the May 9 riots, resigned from both the party’s basic membership and retired from politics on Saturday.
In a message on X, he stated, “After more than a decade in public life, I have made the decision to completely withdraw from politics. I am stepping down from the basic membership of PTI,” said Umar, once a close aide to PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
After more than one decade in public life, I have decided to completely quit politics.
As i had already stated publicly earlier that i disagree with the policy of confrontation with state institutions, and such a policy has led to a serious collission with state institutions,…
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) November 11, 2023
Umar joins a growing list of politicians who left PTI amid a nationwide crackdown on the party, with hundreds of prominent leaders arrested in response to the May 9 riots that erupted following Imran’s arrest that day.
After his May 24 press conference condemning the May 9 events and announcing his resignation from party positions, Umar did not indicate any intention to join other parties, including Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party or PTI Parliamentarians (PTI-P), which have welcomed several PTI defectors.
Referring to the same press conference today, Umar noted, “I had already publicly expressed my disagreement with the policy of confrontation with state institutions.”
The former PTI secretary-general emphasized that such a policy has resulted in a serious clash with state institutions, which is not in the country’s best interest.
Umar expressed gratitude to those who supported him in his public life, especially the “NA-54 team and the voters who elected me twice.” He added, “I have exerted my utmost effort to serve the constituency I was elected from. May Allah’s blessings shine upon the Pakistani nation,” concluded the former finance minister.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
