ISLAMABAD: Nadeem Afzal Chan, the prime minister's spokesperson on Thursday, refused to withdraw his resignation despite requests made by top government ministers. The sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that Chan decided not to withdraw his resignation under any circumstances.

They said that one of the major reasons behind Chan's quitting his office was Prime Minister Imran Khan's week-long delay in visiting the Machh massacre victims' families who were demanding justice by staging a protest in freezing temperatures on Quetta's Western Bypass.

"As far I know, he [Chan] resigned as spokesman to the prime minister in order to lodge his protest with the premier for his delayed visit to Machh," said a senior PTI leader who wished not to be named.

According to party insiders, Chan was quite upset after some of the senior ministers criticised him for his "sarcastic" tweet, in which he had said that "he was terribly ashamed to see what's happening with the families of the coalminers who were killed in Mach".

Sources said Thursday Chan's resignation had been received by the prime minister, and he had given up his government privileges, including his car and office. They said Chan had said in a conversation with his close colleagues that he would remain in the party but no longer wishes to occupy the post.

The prime minister has yet to take a decision after reading the short resignation letter handed in by Chan, the sources said. "You gave me the opportunity to work with you, from which I learned a lot," the source quoted the resignation letter as saying.

They said Chan wrote in the letter that he could not serve as a special assistant and spokesperson, and thanked the prime minister for his trust. The government ministers - top of whom include Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Ali Zaidi, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari had requested the prime minister not to accept Chan's resignation, said sources.

It may be recalled that in the cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the prime minister had made it clear that a person who could not follow party policy should resign.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021