Former finance minister Miftah Ismail on Saturday resigned from his positions in the PML-N, making official “what is already true and move on” and voiced his intent to no longer remain active in electoral politics.

In the resignation letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Ismail said: “Given the upcoming reorganisation of the party structure, I think it’s time for me to make official what is already true and move on.”

“I therefore tender my resignation as General Secretary of PML-N Sindh and also resign from all party committees,” he said in the letter addressed to PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal.

Miftah then proceeded to thank the party leadership for entrusting him with responsibilities “not only in the party but also in the government”.

“The party Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif and President Mian Shehbaz Sharif have been most kind and considerate with me over the years. I shall always be grateful to them for their support and trust.”

He also thanked senior leaders “such as yourself, Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq, Pervaiz Rasheed, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and many others”, who he said had been very kind to him over the years.

“Although I won’t be active in electoral politics anymore, I share with you a keen desire to see a socially just, economically stable and well-governed Pakistan,” he concluded. “My best wishes to you, the party and all its leaders.”

His journey to this point

Ismail, as finance minister, had steered the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but his proposals had come under criticism by Maryam Nawaz, who in August last year, publicly disowned his petroleum price hike.

Ismail had later said he was an “easy target”. He then resigned as the finance minister to pave the way for Ishaq Dar.

In January, Ismail alleged that he was removed as finance minister at Dar’s behest. He had later begun to publicly criticise his successor’s handling of the IMF negotiations.

That same month, Ismail had joined several ‘political mavericks’ — Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Aslam Raisani — to launch the “Reimagining Pakistan” campaign.

They had held several seminars on the current challenges being faced by the country in an effort to develop a consensus on the future course of action required to be taken by all stakeholders to bring Pakistan out of the present mess.

The leaders had on several occasions denied that the campaign would be used to launch a political party. They have also vowed it was an “apolitical” campaign.