PTI marred by resignations

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 and subsequent violent protests, during which unruly supporters and workers stormed and torched state installations almost across the country, unleashed a mass exodus of leaders from the former ruling party.

The leaders who have already announced resignation from the party include ex-provincial minister Mubeen Khilji, senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir, former governor Imran Ismail, former provincial minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Malik, and former federal minister Malik Amin Aslam among others, reports Geo News.

Meanwhile, Khan on Friday said his party officials were being made to resign under duress in a bid to weaken him and dismantle his party. He distanced his party from the attacks on military installations during the unrest that followed his arrest and reiterated a call for an investigation to determine who was involved.

Khan's party members have said they were leaving of their own free will. Many of them cited concerns for their family and health.

The former premier, however, struck a defiant tone, warning that his party's popularity was only rising because of the crackdown and would still win an election whenever it was held. He said he only wanted to talk to take the country out of the current crisis.

Khan on Friday also appealed for immediate talks with state officials, as pressure increased on him amidst a crackdown on his top aides and many leaving his party, reports Reuters.

"I would like to appeal for talks, because what is currently happening is not a solution," Khan said in a live talk streamed on YouTube, warning that the country was headed towards anarchy.

A national election is scheduled to be held by November, and polls show Khan remains the country's most popular leader.

Khan had said earlier this week that he would set up a committee to hold negotiations.

He says previous attempts to speak to the country's powerful generals had gone unanswered. The civilian government, a coalition of his political rivals, has not indicated that it was willing to talk as the crackdown on his party continued.