"Yes, he has resigned as the senior vice president of the party," Zubair said when asked about the reports surrounding the resignation.
Zubair added, “The resignation doesn’t affect his standing as a political leader of vast experience and insight. The party needs him and he is still a part of it.”
The news about the aforesaid resignation was reported earlier today. Abbasi had reportedly told Nawaz Sharif three years back that it would be hard for him to work with Maryam Nawaz if she was elevated to the role of senior vice president of the party.
To a query, Abbasi had said that he had not communicated with Maryam Nawaz since her return from London.
However, there was a controversy surrounding Shahid Khaqan resignation when his spokesperson Hafiz Usman Abbasi denied that the former PM had resigned from the party position.
He had also said that he stepped down from the office within an hour after the announcement of Maryam Nawaz’s appointment on the position.
He had clarified that he would remain a part of the PML-N until his last breath unless the party decided to part ways with him. In that case, I’ll prefer going home, he added.
The former premier had further said that for now, he would be working on his “Reimagining Pakistan” forum for the betterment of the country. He reiterated that the forum was not a political party.
It was reported earlier that the top PMLN leadership was uneasy at the new role granted to the party supremo’s daughter.
Maryam, a popular leader among the masses, was made the senior vice president and chief organiser on Jan 3.
According to a notification issued at the time, she became the second-most powerful leader after Shehbaz Sharif, PMLN president and the incumbent prime minister of the country.
The party’s sources say the top cadre was not taken into confidence on the aforesaid decision, and that several members were uneasy about it.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior leader had termed the decision non-democratic, saying it would only result in more control of the family on the party.
Another senior leader had criticised the earlier appointment of PM Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab CM, saying Khawaja Saad Rafique and Malik Ahmed Khan were suitable candidates for the role.