Lahore:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) faced a new leadership shock on Tuesday while Secretary General Salman Akram Raja announced his resignation, while senior Hammad Azhar leaders withdrew to challenge the next Lahore by-election.
By taking Raja to X said that an incident had forced him to resign. “My life is an open book. None of my actions contradicts any principle. I do not accept a compromise on intellectual and economic integrity. Tomorrow, I will resign from its functions by asking Imran,” he posted.
He said that he was not a traditional politician but that he was firm despite internal and external pressures. “We have endured subtle attacks, accepted economic uncertainty and faced false cases, but I don’t regret anything. I am not afraid of prison,” said Raja, highlighting his role in key cases such as Tyrian, Iddat, figure, military courts and reserved disputes.
Raja revealed that he had asked Imran, through lawyer Ali Bukhari, to allow him to focus on legal battles earlier, but he had refused.
Meanwhile, Azhar, son of the late politician veteran Mian Azhar, withdrew from the NA-129 competition, appointing his Cousin Chaudhry Arsalan Zaheer as a family candidate.
Zaheer, former president of the Lahore fruit and vegetable market committee, has long worked alongside the Azhar family in the electoral campaigns.
Azhar explained that his withdrawal was due to personal constraints and legal vulnerabilities, including affairs related to the May 9 disorders. He said Zaheer’s own legal file has minimized the risk of disqualification, while his sister would supervise campaign operations.
The party initiates said that the PTI management had given Azhar’s discretion in the candidate’s choice, although his legal problems played a decisive role.
