Salman Akram Raja has resigned as the Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), sources confirmed on Thursday. His resignation comes after the party’s disappointing rally in Lahore, where he had been tasked with leading efforts to mobilize supporters.
Raja had initially been assigned to coordinate the party’s activities in Islamabad. However, due to road closures, he shifted the focus to organizing a protest in Lahore. Despite his efforts, Raja struggled to rally significant support in Punjab’s capital, with turnout falling short of expectations. This lackluster response raised concerns within the party regarding its organizational capacity and its ability to engage its base effectively.
The resignation follows PTI’s decision to call off its protest sit-in for the third time on Wednesday, after protesters who had marched to Islamabad for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan were met with a heavy crackdown from authorities.
The protests, which spanned three days, resulted in at least six deaths, including that of a police officer and three Rangers personnel, according to officials and hospital sources. On the third day, PTI leaders, including Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, urged protesters to “go home, have dinner, and return tomorrow,” signaling a retreat from the protest site and a shift in the party’s strategy.
Along with the fatalities, the protests led to widespread arrests as security forces moved to clear demonstrators from key areas like Jinnah Avenue and Blue Area. While the exact number of detainees remains unclear, the authorities had employed strict measures, including turning off street lights along Jinnah Avenue and deploying heavy security in the area.
As law enforcement regained control, many protesters began to disperse, moving towards Faisal Avenue and nearby areas, where security had set up containers to block access after some had been cleared by demonstrators earlier in the day.
