KARACHI: Najeeb Har­oon, an MNA of the ruling Pak­istan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from Karachi and a fou­nding member of the party, on Saturday anno­unced that he had resigned from parliament “with a heavy heart” for being unable to bring about any change to his constituency and the city.

Mr Haroon took to social media to announce his resignation from the NA-256 constituency from where he was elected in July 2018 elections, displaying a copy of his farewell letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“It’s with a heavy heart that I’ve tendered my resignation from the @NAofPakistan to PM ImranKhanPTI,” he tweeted. “It’s been 20 months and have not been able to improve either my constituency nor my hometown #Karachi and in good conscience cannot justify being in this position.”

Minutes after his post, he faced a storm of reaction and questions and further explained his move on the social media platform.

“As the only surviving founding father of the first executive committee I would still be part of my beloved party @PTIofficial till my last breath. I also strongly believe in the capable leadership of @ImranKhanPTI and that he can take #Pakistan to new heights,” he said.

“Being the only MNA who does not take a salary or any perks [...], being one of the highest tax payers in Pakistan, my intentions have always been to give back to #Karachi and to #Pakistan. If I am not able to do so in my right conscience cannot justify being in my position,” Mr Haroon said.

A graduate of the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Mr Haroon was one of a few members of the PTI in Karachi who lau­nched the party with the founding chief Imran Khan in the mid-1990s. Along with President Dr Arif Alvi, Mr Haroon was among the fou­nding members of the PTI.

“Being JUST an MNA was never my intention. Wanted to do something for my city where my children and grandchildren live. Wanted to do something so they don’t want to leave for some other country. HAVE not given up, and would still stand with #PTI,” he said.

In January 2020, internal differences within the PTI’s Karachi chapter had surfaced in the National Assembly as its three MNAs from Sindh capital had protested over the attitude of federal Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi, who also belongs to the same city.

Before that in December 2019, amid rumours and speculation about internal differences within the PTI, its MNAs from Karachi had held a meeting with the prime minister in Islamabad.

Without identifying the reasons for his inability to achieve desired results, Mr Haroon however admitted to his failure in one particular area.

“I have failed to enjoy your trust,” he said in his four-page resignation letter to PM Khan shared on the social media. Like past practice of the PTI legislators, he did not name any individual or leader of the party but suggested measures to strengthen accountability system within the party.

“Unfortunately I have not been able to contribute anything towards the betterment/improvement of my constituency or my hometown Karachi or my beloved country Pakistan,” he said and added: “Public hearing of all individual will help bring to surface all good and bad things about them.”

Mr Haroon could not be contacted for comments despite attempts, but PTI spokesman Jamal Siddiqi confirmed his resignation. However, he said, it was not going to be accepted as “he’s an asset of the party.”

“PM Imran Khan and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had a telephonic conversation today to discuss his resignation,” Mr Siddiqi told Dawn. “The PM has tasked the governor with holding a meeting with Mr Haroon to ascertain his grievances. He’s an asset and the party is not going to lose him. Once the situation [created by coronavirus] normalises to some extent, the governor would also take him to Islamabad for a meeting with the PM.”

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2020