Asad Umar resigns as PTI secretary general

In another major setback for Imran Khan, senior leader and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar said he was resigning from his party positions, Aaj News reported.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after being released from Adiala jail, Asad said after the events of May 9 it was not possible for him to keep the leadership positions within the PTI. “Therefore, I am withdrawing as secretary general of the party as well as membership of the party’s core committee.”

He also condemned the incidents of May 9, saying whatever happened on the day was very painful and highly commendable.

Asad said he will talk about four different things in his presser, which comes after 15 days of confinement in isolation.

He said almost everyone condemned the events of May 9 but "I want to talk in detail about why they were dangerous for the country.

"Lives were lost, people were injured and state and private installations were damaged. but perhaps the most dangerous thing was that installations associated with army were attacked.”

Asad said Imran Khan has always highlighted the importance of the army in Pakistan.

“Imran has said it multiple times that in Muslim countries you see destruction in past years, and that if disciplined and powerful army is not there in Pakistan, we would have to face same situation as Syria and Iraq,” he said.

Asad also highlighted the importance of dialogues among the political parties, saying the developments of the past 13 months have brought the country to the verge of destruction.

The much-anticipated press conference comes hours after the party's senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry also parted ways with PTI, saying he wanted to take a break from politics.

In a tweet, the former vice president of the PTI announced his resignation from the party position.

On Tuesday, two senior party leaders, Shireen Mazari, and Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, announced they were leaving the party. On the same day, PTI’s Mian Jalil Sharaqpuri announced parting ways with the party and blamed former prime minister Imran Khan for the violence that ensued on May 9.

Earlier, after being released from the jail, Asad was whisked away from the jail’s back door in a private vehicle to avoid the media’s attention.

The IHC had earlier ordered the release of the PTI leader who was arrested after former PM Imran Khan's detainment.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb presided over the hearing today and directed Umar to submit a declaration. The judge also directed him to delete his incendiary tweets.

The IHC also warned that in case of violation of the declaration, the PTI senior leader should forget his political career.

He is the latest PTI leader to be released from jail. On Tuesday, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was re-arrested soon after being released from the Adiala Jail.

Confirming his arrest, the PTI Twitter handle said Qureshi was arrested after he refused to leave the party.

“I am with the party, I will stay with the party,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Qureshi was among the top PTI leaders arrested from Islamabad within 24 hours of the outbreak of violent protests following former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest as the government tightened the noose around the party.

Similarly, Fawad Chaudhry was also released on Islamabad High Court's (IHC) order. However, authorities attempted to arrest him which he avoided by running inside the court.

Meanwhile, several PTI leaders have left the party after being released from jail. On Tuesday, Dr Shireen Mazari and Fayyazul Hassan Chohan announced they were leaving the party.

MPA Bilal Ahmed Ghaffar from Karachi also announced he will leave the party and politics following the May 9 violence in which military installations were attacked.

Ghaffar announced his decision in a Twitter post, saying he had decided to quit after 12 years of active politics and working for the cause of a better country.