Asad Umar quits PTI, politics too

ISLAMABAD: Asad Umar – once a close confidant of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan – finally hung up his boots on Saturday and announced to quit politics and resigned from the basic membership of the party.

In a message on X, formerly Twitter, Umar said: “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 collision with state institutions, which is not in the interest of the country,” he added.

Asad Umar resigns from PTI, quits politics

He continued that he was resigning from the basic membership of the party.

Thanking the people who supported him publically, Umar said that he particularly wants to show gratitude to the NA-54 team and the voters who elected him twice.

“I have tried my best to serve the constituency that I was elected from. May Allah’s blessings shine upon the Pakistani nation,” he added.

According to PTI insiders, Umar had been resisting the pressure – from the powers that be – to quit PTI in wake of May 9 violence but he finally succumbed to the pressure and parted ways with his leader Imran Khan at a time when he needed him the most.

Following the message by Umar on X, Hamamd Azhar of PTI said, “PTI attracted professionals and educated individuals to take part in active politics. Forcing people like Asad to quit politics whilst promoting the likes of Sharjeel Memons, Tessoris, Rana Sanas won’t do Pakistan any good & will also not work”.

Umar was also arrested under the 16 MPO on May 10, a day after violence erupted amid countrywide protests against Khan’s arrest.

However, he was released from the Adiala Jail on the orders of Islamabad High Court (IHC) after he was directed to submit an undertaking that he would not become a part of violent protests. On May 24, Umar stepped down as the party’s secretary general and also announced to quit the PTI’s core committee. He had served in the position for 17 months. He has been named in a number of cases related to violence. He was also named in the cipher case registered under the Official Secrets Act but secured bail from the court.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023