Islamabad, May 13, 2025: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Junaid Akbar has submitted his resignation as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in line with party directives. The move follows instructions from PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan, urging Akbar to shift his focus toward provincial matters.
In a video message released on Tuesday, Akbar confirmed he had handed over his resignation to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. “Whatever the decision of the party and Imran Khan, I accept it wholeheartedly without hesitation,” he stated.
Akbar, who was elected PAC chairman unopposed in January 2025, said the role was a responsibility entrusted to him by the party, and he would willingly accept any further decisions, including stepping down from other positions if asked.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed the resignation, adding that Imran Khan had conveyed the directive through his sister, Aleema Khan, during a recent visit to Adiala Jail. The message was later passed on to senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja. Akram also confirmed that Omar Ayub Khan would replace Akbar as the new PAC chairman.
Akbar was also appointed PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter president in January, replacing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
The PAC post had remained vacant since the February 2024 general elections, which saw the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) form the federal government. While parliamentary tradition typically reserves the PAC chair for the leader of the opposition or their nominee, there is no legal requirement enforcing this.
PTI had previously shifted positions on the PAC nomination, initially considering Sher Afzal Marwat, followed by Sheikh Waqas Akram and Omar Ayub, before finalizing Junaid Akbar for the role.
