Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar announced on Thursday that he is stepping down as the president of the party’s Punjab chapter, citing a lack of access to the imprisoned former prime minister and PTI chairman, Imran Khan. Azhar’s resignation marks the second time this year that he has relinquished a prominent position within the party due to similar concerns.
In March, Azhar had resigned as the general secretary and acting president of PTI Punjab, stating that his legal challenges and restricted movements hindered his ability to fulfill his responsibilities effectively. However, PTI’s leadership had rejected his resignation at that time, urging him to continue his work. Despite these setbacks, Azhar remained a vocal and active figure within PTI, leading a motorcycle rally in Lahore on Wednesday even though he is currently wanted by police in connection with over 50 cases.
In a detailed post on social media platform X, Azhar outlined the reasons behind his decision to step down. He expressed frustration over his inability to communicate directly with Imran Khan, a situation exacerbated by his restricted movements, which prevent him from visiting Adiala Jail where Khan is currently incarcerated. Azhar highlighted that many decisions regarding PTI’s Punjab organization were made without his input or consent, often driven by internal lobbying rather than merit.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Imran Khan,” Azhar wrote. “Many decisions were taken in the organization of Punjab which neither included my opinion nor my consent. Most of these decisions were based on lobbying and limited access to Imran Khan and one-sided information instead of merit.”
Azhar also pointed to the recent efforts to replace Chaudhry Asghar as PTI Lahore President, a move he attributed to internal lobbying. He praised Asghar for his leadership over the past three months, during which he had been at the forefront of the party’s activities. However, Azhar lamented that Asghar’s opponents had succeeded in influencing Khan against him, a situation that he believes is emblematic of broader issues within the party.
“There are many other cases where there was clear injustice, wrong decisions were made, and in some regions, our leaders are very worried but Khan sahib is not even informed,” Azhar added.
Azhar emphasized that his decision to resign was rooted in his commitment to merit and fairness. He expressed his unwillingness to remove dedicated party members from their positions simply because they lacked direct access to Khan. Azhar argued that major organizational responsibilities should be entrusted only to those who have regular communication with the party chairman to ensure accurate and comprehensive reporting.
In a separate post, Azhar clarified that he has never been interested in holding a party position and only accepted the role of Punjab president at the insistence of the leadership. He reiterated his loyalty to Imran Khan and PTI, stating that he would continue to work for the party without holding any official position.
Azhar also addressed the communication challenges within PTI, noting the presence of three distinct groups within the party, each with its own interests and strategies. He urged Imran Khan to bring these factions together and ensure that no one deviates from the party’s core objectives.
“The issues are not so major that they can’t be fixed,” Azhar concluded, stressing the importance of resolving the access and communication issues to prevent further damage to the party.
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