Lahore (National Times) In a major blow to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the leadership of PTI Lahore has resigned from their positions hours after Hammad Azhar stepped down as Punjab president on Thursday.

In a press conference held in Lahore, PTI Lahore President Chaudhry Asghar Gujjar announced his resignation from the party presidency. Alongside him, General Secretary Hafiz Zeeshan also stepped down from his responsibilities.

Gujjar expressed gratitude to the party workers, stating, “You stood by me in the struggle for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. I am hopeful that the next president will continue the fight even better than I did.”

Earlier, Hammad Azhar announced his resignation from the Punjab presidency via social media, citing limited access to Imran Khan. “I have neither held a press conference nor made any deals. My movements are highly restricted, and I cannot visit Adiala Jail,” Azhar said, adding that many decisions within the Punjab organisation were made without his input or consent.

He further claimed that some decisions were based on lobbying rather than merit, with one-sided information presented to Imran Khan to manipulate the narrative.

Azhar also highlighted that there had been ongoing efforts to replace Lahore President Chaudhry Asghar Gujjar, which eventually succeeded through misinformation.

He praised Gujjar for his leadership, noting, “His only fault was being imprisoned for two months, winning the election in Nawaz Sharif’s constituency on Form 45, and being elected Lahore president three months ago. I can confidently say that no previous president of Lahore led from the front as he did in these three months.”