ISLAMABAD, March 4: Senator Tariq Azeem, information secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, has quit the post, citing party’s failure in the Feb 18 elections as the reason. He submitted his resignation on Tuesday to PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Azeem said he was setting an ‘example’ for others to accept responsibility for the party’s defeat, adding that it was up to the party president whether to accept or reject his resignation.

He said he had proposed to the party leadership to ‘realistically’ analyse the reasons for the party’s drubbing in the elections and draw lessons for the future.

“If we have failed to deliver as party office-bearers we must accept this failure and leave the place for others who can serve the party better,” he commented.

He denied that he was resigning at the instigation of some party leaders.

“It is a democratic tradition in the whole world that the top leadership accepts responsibility for failures of the party in elections and since I do not see others following this tradition, I volunteer myself.”

He said it would be better if other office-bearers followed his example.

Party insiders said the PML-Q was considering to replace Mr Azeem with former information minister Mohammad Ali Durrani.

In a related development, former railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed is reported to have dropped the idea of launching his own party and instead is trying to seek the help of the presidential camp to secure the post of the party’s secretary general.