LAHORE:
The PTI faced important organizational changes to Tuesday when Secretary General Salman Akram Raja announced his resignation and the former Punjab leader Hammad Azhar, retired from playing a partial election of the crucial time.
The departure of the general position of the secretary derives from what characterized as irreconcilable differences with respect to his responsibilities within the structure of the party.
The main lawyer revealed that he had requested the founder of PTI Imran Khan to relieve him of duties through the lawyer Ali Bukhari the previous week. Imran Khan initially rejected the application.
“My life is an open book, and I cannot commit to intellectual and financial integrity,” Raja said in a publication on social networks, indicating that recent circumstances had forced their decision.
Despite giving up the administrative role, he promised to continue providing pro bono legal representation for the party. The resignation exposes increasing tensions within the leadership hierarchy of PTI, particularly on the strategic direction and individual roles.
Raja, who describes himself as neither a conventional politician nor owner, emphasized the unwavering support of his family to the PTI despite the growing political and economic pressures.
Meanwhile, the withdrawal of Azhar from the race of the Circumscripen Na-129 adds another layer to the electoral challenges of the PTI. The headquarters was vacant after the death of his father, the veteran politician Mian Azhar, creating expectations that the young Azhar would seek to continue the political legacy of the family in the constituency.
Instead, Azhar appointed his cousin, Chaudhry Arsalan Zaheer, as the favorite candidate of the family. Previously Zaheer presided over the Fruit and Vegetable Market Committee of Lahore during the PTI mandate in the Government and has collaborated with the Azhar family in previous electoral campaigns.
The decision reflects practical considerations surrounding the legal vulnerabilities facing PTI’s leadership.
Azhar said that Zaheer does not face pending judicial cases, including those related to the disturbances of May 9 that resulted in the legal problems of numerous members of the party. This clean legal status reduces the risks of potential disqualification that could compromise the seat, he said.
“Personal limitations make me impossible to participate actively in the campaign or serve effectively in the Assembly,” he said, while announcing that his sister would supervise campaign operations.
Party sources confirmed that PTI’s leadership had granted Discretion to Azhar in the selection of candidates, although their own legal challenges significantly influenced the final election. Development illustrates how the current judicial procedures continue to affect political calculations and PTI’s candidate viability.
These leadership changes occur in the context of PTI’s complex relationship with electoral participation. The party has maintained an inconsistent approach to partial elections, with the imprisoned founder Imran who previously advocated boycott to demonstrate solidarity with disqualified members.
The dual ads highlight the largest organizational struggles of PTI, since it sails through leadership transitions while facing sustained legal pressure on key figures.
The party must now address the immediate electoral challenges and the longest questions about the continuity of leadership in the midst of continuous political turbulence.
