Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Pervez Khattak late on Thursday announced his resignation as the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter president.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the PTI leader said it was difficult for him to continue serving as president of the party’s KP chapter amid the current political crisis.
Pervez Khattak said that he will announce the future course of action after consulting his friends and party colleagues.
The development comes hours after PTI president Pervez Elahi was arrested outside his house by anti-corruption officials in Lahore.
The PTI leader further said that he has taken the decision to leave the party post after full consideration.
The former defense minister further said that he had already condemned the attack on military installations on May 9.
Angered by the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan, party workers and supporters reportedly looted government and military installations on May 9. To control the violence, the government called in the army and announced that the protesters would be prosecuted under military law.
A large number of PTI activists and leaders have been arrested in an almost nationwide crackdown following the violent incidents.
Interestingly, Pervez Khattak’s press conference came after the spokesperson of former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser claimed that he was unable to contact the two politicians.
The spokesperson had also said that Qaiser and Khattak had gone to meet someone at an undisclosed location at 11 am and were unreachable since then.
As the news spread, rumors suggested that the two leaders would be asked to leave the party.
However, Pervez Khattak rejected these reports in a press conference.
“The propaganda being done is not true, [I] decided after much deliberation,” said the PTI activist.
It is not clear whether Qaiser has made a decision about his political future as he was present at the press conference with Pervez Khattak but left without saying anything.
Since the May 9 riots, dozens of party leaders, including several bigwigs — Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry, Aamir Mehmood Kayani and others — have parted ways with party chief Imran Khan.
Pervez Khattak, however, followed in the footsteps of his party colleague Asad Umar, who last week resigned from party posts including secretary general, only resigned from the party post.
Close aides of the party chairman are also part of the negotiating committee formed by the latter to negotiate with the current government to break the political deadlock.
