Islamabad (Web Desk): Former minister for planning and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) ex secretary general Asad Umar on Saturday resigned from party's basic membership and announced to quit politics.
Umar had resigned as the PTI’s secretary general in May following the May 9 riots.
In a post on social media platform X, (formerly Twitter) Asad wrote, “After more than one decade in public life, I have decided to completely quit politics.
“I am resigning from [the] basic membership of PTI,” the former federal minister wrote.
Thanking his supporters, the former PTI general secretary said he particularly wants to show gratitude to the NA-54 team and the voters who elected him twice.
"I have tried my best to serve the constituency that I was elected from. May Allah's blessings shine upon the Pakistani nation," Asad added.
The former federal minister joins a long list of politicians who have quit the PTI after a nationwide crackdown was launched against the party and hundreds of prominent leaders were arrested in reaction to the May 9 riots that broke out after Imran Khan’s arrest.
Asad Umar was also arrested under the MPO on May 10, a day after violence erupted amid countrywide protests against Khan's arrest.
However, he was released from the Adiala Jail on the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) order after he was directed to submit an undertaking that he would not become a part of violent protests.
On May 24, Asad resigned from the position of the PTI's secretary general and also announced to quit the core committee of the party.
Asad Umar was nominated in a number of case related to violence. He was also named in the cipher case registered under the Official Secrets Act but secured bail from the court.
It is pertinent to mention that PTI chief and former premier Imran Khan and party's vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi were indicted in the case and are currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail.