LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan on Friday notified the appointment of party MPA Sheikh Imtiaz as the party’s Lahore district president.

The position had fallen vacant after removal of Asghar Gujjar, allegedly at the behest of a rival group within the party.

PTI central Punjab secretary general and acting president Hammad Azhar had strongly reacted to the removal of Gujjar and resigned from the party office. However, the PTI’s top leadership announced that the party is not accepting his resignation.

Similarly, MPA Hafiz Farhat Abbas had resigned from the office of the party’s parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly a day earlier. His resignation was accepted and he was replaced by MPA Ali Imtiaz Warraich.

Sources in the party say the developments during the last two days exposed grouping and increasing confrontation within the party.

They say the PTI leader Mian Aslam Iqbal, who is in hiding, alongside the party’s senior leader Azam Swati, was backing the group opposing Hammad in Lahore and central Punjab.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2024