Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar formally resigns as senator

PPP's Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has stepped down from the post of senator after officially tendering his resignation to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Thursday, clarifying that he will not be affiliated with any party for the time being.

The resignation was formally accepted by the Senate, after which his seat was declared vacant.

The politician announced his resignation in a tweet which contained a picture with Sanjrani, where he wrote:

“Allhamdulillah, I have formally submitted my resignation today. I’m thankful for the positive response & support across party lines which was far beyond my imagination."

He "clearly" told the speculators of his future in the country's politics that he will not be part of any political party.

“I will try hard to maintain my independence,” said the senator.

The PPP stalwart had announced earlier this week that he would formally resign as a senator following reports of PPP's discontention with his political position.

Khokhar — who resigned as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's spokesman in December 2020 — has been critical of the government since its inception. He also refrained from becoming a state minister in April.

In a series of tweets, the PPP leader said he met a senior leader from the party, who told him that the party leadership "wasn’t happy with my political positions and wanted my resignation from the Senate".

"I gladly agreed to resign [...] will be submitting my resignation in person to Chairman Senate tomorrow, Insha[A]llah," Bilawal's former spokesman said.

As a political worker, Khokhar said, he cherishes his right to express his opinions on matters of public interest.

"Thankful to the party leadership for giving me the Senate seat from Sindh. Differences aside, It’s been a wonderful journey with them and wish them the best."

Sources had told Geo News that PPP Senator Farooq H Naik informed Khokhar about the party's reservations.