In the past 24 hours, three members of Imran Khan’s political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), have resigned from the group in protest at the violence that occurred during the May 9 “Jalsa” rally in Islamabad.
The three members who resigned include Waqar Ahmed, Adeel Sulehri, and Anwer Khattak – all of whom were ministers of the party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. They claimed that the violence that occurred at the rally was unacceptable and that they could no longer be part of a party which condoned and tolerated it.
The resignations mark the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the PTI following the party’s failure to win the General Election in May. Previously, veteran PTI figures, including Abdul Quayyum Khan Kundi, Sahibzada Tariqullah, and Salman Naeem have all left the party in recent months
In the wake of the three resignations, the PTI’s leadership, including chairman Imran Khan, has come under fire for allowing violence to break out at the Islamabad rally. While Khan has apologized for the violence, many of the party’s senior members have been slow to condemn the disturbance and have been accused of playing down the severity of the incident.
The resignations of the PTI leaders have caused further problems for Khan as his party heads into the upcoming elections. It remains to be seen whether or not the resignations will have a lasting impact on the PTI’s performance at the polls and whether or not Khan will be able to win back the trust of those who have recently left the party.