• NA official says speaker yet to receive resignations
• Insider says party will not contest by-polls, except for Lahore seat
• Imran blames army chief for his ‘suffering’, seeks apology

ISLAMABAD: In line with the directives of their party chief, the PTI lawmakers have decided to quit the parliamentary standing committees and stay away from the by-election to be held on the seats left vacant after the disqualification of the party leaders convicted in the May 9 cases.

PTI Chief Whip Aamir Dogar said that the members of the parliamentary committees had started sending their resignations. “A number of legislators have directly submitted resignations to the National Assembly Secretariat and others will submit their resignations on Thursday [today],” he claimed. Junaid Akbar, who heads the Public Accounts Committee, also reportedly resigned.

It may be noted that the PTI lawmakers did not attend the PAC meeting on Wednesday and it was chaired by PPP’s Naveed Qamar instead. However, a senior official in the secretariat, on condition of anonymity, said that the speaker had yet to receive any of the resignation letters.

Regarding the by-election, the PTI political committee endorsed the suggestion of the party boss, who said that not a single candidate would contest the by-polls, except for Hammad Azhar in Lahore, who would be vying for the seat left vacant following the demise of his father.

A participant, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that the meeting held on Tuesday night unanimously decided that all opinions and suggestions of Mr Khan would be implemented. The PTI leaders also appreciated Imran Khan’s suggestion that the political committee should decide in this regard. “The members showed concerns over the decision that the Toshakhana case would be heard on a daily basis as they believed that it would affect the fundamental rights and justice,” he said.

“Fielding candidates will be an insult to those who have been disqualified. So it has been decided to boycott all the by-elections, apart from the NA-129 seat in Lahore which was vacated due to the death of Mian Azhar. Hammad Azhar will contest the election on that seat,” he said.

Replying to a question, the PTI leader said that there was also an opinion that the ‘power that be’ would not let the PTI candidates win. He said they decided to boycott the polls because a lower turnout would make these elections controversial.

“…some leaders feel that the GSP Plus status is at stake due to the policies of the government as it has been violating the basic human rights. Resigning from the standing committees and boycotting the by-elections will further increase the pressure [on the government] as the European Union will ask it about the basic human rights,” he explained.

Imran’s tweet

In a harshly worded tweet, incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan lashed out at army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and blamed him for his and his wife’s incarceration. The statement was posted on his X handle but he does not have access to it from jail and it remains unclear who runs the account. Mr Khan said instead of asking him for an apology, the army chief should apologise.

“It is not a hybrid system that is in place in our country, but the dictatorship of Asim Munir. That is precisely why (President) Trump invited him instead of Shehbaz Sharif,” he said.

“In their extreme fascism and oppression, they continue to target non-political members of my family. My two nephews, Shahrez and Shershah Khan, have been abducted despite having no involvement in politics,” he said. The former prime minister further said that he had been allowed only three meetings over the past three months to pressure him. He claimed that for the past eight months, Bushra Bibi had also been held in solitary confinement.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025