Junaid Akbar steps down as PAC chief

PTI MNA Junaid Akbar on Tuesday confirmed that he had submitted his resignation as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in line with the directive of the party's founding chairman, Imran Khan.

In a video statement, Akbar said he had handed over his resignation to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and accepted the party's decision without hesitation.

"Whatever the decision of the party and the decision of Imran Khan, I will not think for a moment and will readily accept it," he said.

He added that the PAC chairmanship had been a responsibility entrusted to him by the party, and he would comply with any direction given by Imran, including stepping down from the presidency of PTI's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter or resigning from the National Assembly.

The development follows reports that Imran had asked Akbar to step down from the coveted parliamentary post and instead focus on responsibilities within the province.

Reports had earlier suggested that PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram had confirmed Akbar's resignation.

He said Imran conveyed the message through his sister, Aleema Khan, during their recent meeting.

Akram further stated that Aleema passed on the message to senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja after leaving Adiala Jail and announced that Omar Ayub Khan would be appointed as the new PAC chairman.

Akbar had been elected unopposed as PAC chairman in January this year. In the same month, he was appointed by Imran Khan as PTI's KP president, replacing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

The PAC chairmanship had remained vacant since the February 2024 general elections, which brought the PML-N-led coalition government into power.

Traditionally, the position is held by the leader of the opposition or their nominee, although there is no legal requirement binding this parliamentary convention.