GB opposition leader steps down

SKARDU: Opposition Leader in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and PPP provincial president Amjad Hussain Advocate Monday submitted his resignation as the legislative assembly member.

Before resigning, Amjad withdrew the no-confidence motion against Speaker Nazir Advocate. The speaker confirmed that Amjad had tendered his resignation as the assembly member in the evening and personally handed it over to him in his chamber.

Amjad was a candidate for chief minister, but Advisor to the Prime Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira asked him to step down.

Following the direction, Amjad resigned from the assembly membership due to internal party differences. Amjad not only prepared the fake degree case against the former chief minister but also pleaded it in the court until decision.

During the past three months, Amjad has been vigorously pursuing the anti-Imran narrative. He emerged as the PDM’s consensus candidate in the recent chief minister's election. However, the central party leadership suddenly instructed him to step down.

According to Rukn-e-Qanoon-e-Saz Assembly Shahzad Agha, the PPP members in the assembly had also submitted their resignations against the central leadership's decision, and were supporting every decision of the provincial president.

The PPP is the second largest party in the legislative assembly, and Amjad Advocate is the first assembly member elected from two constituencies in the general election.

The decision by the second largest party in the legislative assembly not to participate in the chief minister's election and resignations have made the chief minister's elections controversial. In the obtaining situation, further postponement of the chief minister's elections could not be ruled out.