LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s special assistant’s Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and Awn Chaudhry resigned from their posts on Friday.

Dr Firdous, who was serving as special assistant for Information and Broadcasting, had sent her resignation letter to Punjab CM Usman Buzdar, who duly accepted the resignation.

“The chief minister has been pleased to accept the enclosed resignation tendered by Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan from the office of special assistant to the chief minister on information. Further necessary action may be taken accordingly,” said a statement issued by Buzdar’s office.

Before joining the Punjab government as CM Buzdar’s aide, PM Imran Khan had appointed Dr Awan as his special assistant on information and broadcasting in April 2019. She had replaced Fawad Chaudhry.

Dr Firdous started her mainstream political career in 2002 when she became a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan on a reserved seat on a PML-Q ticket. Dr Firdous was re-elected to the lower house of Parliament as a PPP member in 2008 before jumping ship and joining the PTI in 2017.

Separately, Awn Chahdury also resigned from his post as a special coordinator. He said that he had resigned from the Punjab cabinet after he was asked by the CM Office to disassociate himself from the Jahangir Tareen group.

“Everyone knows that Jahangir Tareen is the person who played a pivotal role in the struggle of PTI, and keeping in view of his efforts for the success of PTI in 2018 election and formation of PTI government in the centre and Punjab, my conscience does not allow me to abandon my association with the most loyal member of PTI who served selflessly as I have,” said Awn in his resignation letter.

“I prefer to submit my resignation from the post of special coordinator to the CM to stand by Mr Tareen and his Group,” he added.

Talking to Bol News, Jahangir Khan Tareen group’s MNA Raja Riaz saluted the bravery of Awn for not bowing down to the “illegitimate demands of the Buzdar government”.

“If they ask us to resign, we would do the same but we will not leave Jahangir Tareen. We are with him through thick and thin,” Riaz added.

“If they continue forcing leaders like this it will be a decisive blow to the PTI and its government,” he said in an aggressive tone.

Riaz added that they will come up with a joint decision after analyzing the situation in the coming days.