On Friday, members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party voted unanimously against accepting the resignation of the party’s Secretary General, Omar Ayub.
In an unexpected move, top PTI leader Omar resigned as secretary-general of Imran Khan’s party on Thursday in order “to focus” on his role as Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly.
The politician stated that the PTI founder accepted his resignation, which he submitted on June 22, 2024, in a letter addressed to jailed former prime minister and party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
However, earlier today, a meeting of PTI lawmakers approved a resolution rejecting the opposition leader’s resignation and expressing complete trust in his leadership as the party’s secretary general.
The resolution proposed that Omar continue to serve as the PTI secretary general.
As divisions within the former ruling party widened, the resolution condemned reports of some disgruntled PTI leaders forming a forward bloc.
“There is no truth to the reports about any forward bloc in PTI. “All members are united under the leadership of the party founder and lifetime chairman,” the statement read.
Earlier today, senior leader Sher Afzal Marwat demanded Shibli Faraz’s resignation, claiming that only then will the party be free of the “qabza mafia”.
“I demand Shibli Faraz’s resignation from party positions and as leader of the opposition in the Senate,” said Marwat, who has clashed with Faraz and other party leaders.
In May, the outspoken jurist-turned-politician refused to collaborate with Senator Faraz and Omar, claiming that they would not allow him to meet incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.
While announcing his resignation, Omar revealed on Wednesday that more changes to the PTI’s organisational structure would be made in the coming days based on the party founder’s directions.
“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 wrote in a comment to X.
The development came amid deepening conflicts within the PTI, with Geo News reporting on Wednesday, citing sources, that 27 PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers considered resigning from the National Assembly in protest of the party’s top leadership.
According to insiders, 21 of the 27 lawmakers have hinted at forming a forward bloc in response to the top leadership’s failure to secure the release of party founder Imran Khan from jail.
 parliamentary party voted unanimously against accepting the resignation of the party's Secretary General, Omar Ayub.){kind=link}