Lahore:
The PTI faced significant organizational changes on Tuesday while secretary general Salman Akram Raja announced his resignation and the former Punjab chief Hammad Azhar withdrew to challenge a crucial partial election of Lahore.
Raja’s departure from the post of secretary general stems from what he described as irreconcilable differences concerning his responsibilities within the party structure.
The Senior Lawyer revealed that he had asked the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, to relieve him functions through the lawyer Ali Bukhari the previous week. Imran Khan initially rejected the request.
“My life is an open book, and I cannot compromise on intellectual and financial integrity,” said Raja in an article on social networks, indicating that recent circumstances had forced his decision.
Despite the descent of the administrative role, he undertook to continue to provide a pro Bono legal representation to the party. The resignation exposes increasing tensions in the hierarchy of PTI leadership, in particular on strategic orientation and individual roles.
Raja, who describes himself as neither a politician nor a conventional landowner, underlined the unwavering support of his family to the PTI despite political and economic pressures.
Meanwhile, the withdrawal of Azhar from the district race of Na-129 adds another layer to the electoral challenges of the PTI. The siege became vacant after the death of his father, the veteran politician Mian Azhar, creating expectations that the young Azhar would seek to continue the political heritage of the family in the constituency.
Instead, Azhar has appointed his cousin, Chaudhry Arsalan Zaheer, as a favorite family candidate. Zaheer had previously chaired the Lahore fruit and vegetable market committee during the PTI’s mandate to the government and collaborated with the Azhar family in the previous electoral campaigns.
The decision reflects practical considerations concerning the legal vulnerabilities faced by the management of the PTI.
Azhar noted that Zaheer does not face any current judicial affairs, including those related to the May 9 disorders which led to legal problems of many party members. This own legal status reduces the potential risks of disqualification that could compromise the seat, he said.
“Personal constraints do not require me to actively participate in the campaign or to serve effectively in the Assembly,” he said, announcing that his sister would supervise campaign operations.
Party sources have confirmed that the PTI management had granted Azhar’s discretion in the selection of candidates, although his own judicial disputes have influenced the final choice. Development illustrates the way in which the current legal proceedings continue to affect PTI’s political calculations and the viability of candidates.
These leadership changes occur in the context of the complex PTI relationship with electoral participation. The party has maintained an inconsistent approach to the by -elections, the imprisoned IMran founder previously recommended boycott to demonstrate solidarity with disqualified members.
The double announcements highlight the broader organizational struggles of PTI while it sails in leadership transitions while facing sustained legal pressure on key figures.
The party must now take on both immediate electoral challenges and longer -term issues on the continuity of leadership in the midst of continuous political turbulence.
