Pervez Musharraf resigns as All Pakistan Muslim League chief days after poll panel rejects nomination papers

Islamabad: Former president Pervez Musharraf on Friday resigned from the chairmanship of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), the party’s new chairman Mohammad Amjad said. [caption id=“attachment_4498711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Pervez Musharraf. Reuters[/caption] The former military ruler sent his resignation to the Election Commission as it was no longer possible for him to run the party from abroad , said Amjad. Earlier this week, the poll body rejected Musharraf’s nomination papers for NA-1 Chitral, after the Supreme Court withdrew its conditional approval for him to file nomination papers for the upcoming general election when he failed to appear before the court. Amjad, previously the general-secretary of the party, has been elevated to the position of chairman. He will now be directing all party affairs and deciding APML’s role in the elections, the Pakistani media reported. According to Geo News, the party sent a formal request to the Election Commission notifying about the change in its chairmanship. Musharraf, despite his resignation, will remain the supremo of APML, the report said.

Musharraf founded APML in 2010. Despite the party announcing boycott of the 2013 election just days before the balloting, two of its candidates still contested and won two seats from Chitral. The retired general was barred from contesting the 2013 election due to cases registered against him.