May 9 unrest: Exodus continues as another PTI leader quits

Imran has no plans to travel abroad, slams Pak govt

ISLAMABAD: Firdous Ashiq Awan resigned from Imran Khan’s party over the recent violent and “terrorist activities” and said the former prime minister and Pakistan cannot go together, becoming the latest senior leader to quit the party.

Awan, 53, served as Special Assistant to the PM on I&B from 2019 to 2020. She is the latest politician who resigned from Khan’s PTI party. Awan, the former Federal Minister for Population Welfare, said she was parting ways with the PTI over the party’s “violent and terrorist activities”. “I believe that the martyrs … their love and the country’s respect are a part of our faith. Those who disrespected martyrs attacked Pakistan’s foundation,” she said.

“Imran and Pakistan can’t go together,” she said. Her resignation came after other top PTI leaders - Secretary General Asad Umar, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and former minister for human rights Shireen Mazari parted ways with the opposition party.

ISLAMABAD: Unfazed after being placed on the no-fly list, Imran Khan took a swipe at the top leaders of the ruling coalition, saying he has no plans to travel overseas as he neither owns properties nor has any businesses abroad. Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and other leaders and former assembly members of his PTI party were barred from leaving the country. Khan wrote: “I want to thank the government for putting my name on the ECL as I have no plans to travel abroad, because I neither have any properties or businesses abroad nor even a bank account outside the country.”