Two party heads step down after getting a drubbing in Pakistan general elections

IPP Patron-in-Chief Jahangir Tareen (left) and JI Emir Sirajul Haq. — Facebook/@JahangirKTareen/@SirajOfficial/File

Jahangir Tareen, the Patron-in-Chief of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), and Sirajul Haq, the Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), have resigned from their respective top positions after the parties got a drubbing in the Pakistan general elections held on February 8.

Tareen, a prominent political figure and former close aide of incarcerated ex-prime minister Imran Khan, faced disappointment as his newly-formed IPP secured only two seats in the National Assembly and one in the provincial assembly.

In response to the electoral setback, Tareen announced his resignation from politics and his position within the party via a statement on his official social media account, X.

Expressing gratitude to his supporters and congratulating his opponents, Tareen wrote, "I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this election and want to offer my congratulations to my opponents," said Tareen in a post on X.

"I have immense respect for the will of the people of Pakistan," he said, offering his gratitude to all IPP members," he stated, adding that he would serve the country in a "private capacity".

He also extended his best wishes to the members of IPP and expressed his commitment to continue serving the country in a private capacity.

In a separate development, Sirajul Haq, the leader of JI, tendered his resignation citing the failure to achieve the targeted electoral results. The resignation was confirmed by JI spokesperson Qaiser Sharif.

Earlier in the day, Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman forfeited a Sindh Assembly seat over alleged rigging.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, an angry Naeem said that his team worked on tallying the Form 45, Dawn newspaper reported. He said that his votes were allegedly decreased by the Election Commission of Pakistan in the Form 47.

"Therefore, I give up this seat," Rehman said, adding that "independent candidate Saif Bari won in a genuine manner, whose votes were reduced to 11,000 from 31,000".

He further said that the votes for MQM were inflated from 6,000 to 20,000.

Naeem had won from PS-129 (Karachi Central VIII) with 26,296 votes, according to the provisional results released by the ECP. PTI-backed independent candidate Saif Bari had gathered 11,357, according to the ECP's Form 47. (With inputs from agencies)