Following their withdrawal from National Assembly standing committees, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators have now begun resigning from their respective Senate committees under the direction of party founder Imran Khan.
On Thursday, multiple senators submitted their resignations, marking a continuation of PTI’s protest against the current parliamentary system, which the party claims has rendered standing committees ineffective in upholding the Constitution and the rule of law.
Among those resigning were Senator Ali Zafar, Senator Azam Swati, Senator Dost Muhammad, Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, and Senator Mohsin Aziz. Ali Zafar stepped down from his committee positions and also relinquished his role as chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting.
Senator Azam Swati resigned from five committees, forwarding his resignations to PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Ali Zafar, who will submit them to Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani. Swati confirmed that his decision was taken in accordance with Imran Khan’s instructions.
Senator Zeeshan Khanzada also resigned from five committees, including stepping down as chairman of the Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and as a member of the Foreign Affairs, Finance and Revenue, Commerce, and Privatisation committees.
Similarly, Senator Dost Muhammad submitted resignations from committees on Government Assurances, Human Rights, Food Security, Poverty Alleviation, and Railways.
Independent Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, supported by PTI, resigned from five committees covering Commerce, Industries and Production, Education, Energy, and Inter-Provincial Coordination, citing instructions from PTI’s founder. Senator Mohsin Aziz had previously resigned from all his committee memberships.
These resignations follow earlier moves in the National Assembly, where PTI MNAs, including Junaid Akbar as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, submitted resignations along with 51 other members to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. However, the Speaker has yet to act on those resignations.
Sources noted that the government has urged the Speaker not to accept resignations from members affiliated with the Sunni Ittehad Council, which PTI had backed after its electoral symbol was withdrawn. This wave of resignations reflects PTI’s ongoing protest against what it perceives as systemic ineffectiveness in Pakistan’s parliamentary framework.
