After the May 9 riots, Asad Umar, the former planning minister, resigned from his position as secretary general of the PTI. On Saturday, he also left politics.
“After more than a decade in public life, I have decided to completely quit politics,” he wrote in a post on X.
Umar, a former close adviser to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, announced his resignation from the party’s basic membership.
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 collission with state institutions,…
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) November 11, 2023
In response to the May 9 riots that started after Imran’s incarceration, a statewide crackdown was initiated against the PTI, and hundreds of notable figures were imprisoned. Umar is the latest in a long line of lawmakers to leave the party.
After criticizing the events of May 9 and announcing his resignation from party positions at a press conference on May 24, Umar made no mention of joining any other party, including the PTI Parliamentarians (PTI-P) or the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, which has been accepting many PTI defectors into their ranks.
Umar said today that he had “already stated publicly earlier that I disagree with the policy of confrontation with state institutions,” making reference to the same press appearance.
“Such a policy has led to a serious collision with state institutions, which is not in the interest of the country,” stated the former secretary general of the PTI.
Umar continued, expressing gratitude to everyone who had helped him throughout his time in the public eye, especially the “NA-54 team and the voters who elected me twice.”
“I have made every effort to represent the constituency from which I was elected. The former minister of finance continued, “May Allah’s blessings shine upon the Pakistani nation.”
Taimur Khan Jhagra, the leader of the PTI, called Umar’s exit from politics a “loss” and “no one’s gain.”
I can only thank Asad Umar for the help he gave me at difficult points in my short political career; and specifically, for the stellar role he placed in guiding the COVID crisis through the NCOC.
It is true that as a country, we need to heal and build bridges, and I am confident… https://t.co/r2jzFkvb8W
— Taimur Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) November 11, 2023
In particular, he praised Umar for his outstanding involvement in steering the Covid issue via the National Command and Operation Center. He thanked Umar for his assistance “at difficult points in my short political career.”
“I believe professionals with something to contribute to politics can find greater room in the field. Not less,” Jhagra said, highlighting the necessity for the nation to “heal and develop bridges.”
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