PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has directed party lawmaker Junaid Akbar to relinquish his position as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), party insiders said on Monday.

Khan’s message was conveyed to the party leadership by his sister, Aleema Khan, according to the sources.

A written directive from the former prime minister was delivered to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, asking Akbar to relinquish the role and focus entirely on his responsibilities within the party.

Insiders have suggested that Omar Ayub, a senior PTI figure, is likely to be nominated as the new PAC chairman to replace Akbar — who is the PTI’s president for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Commenting on the development, Akbar said he would comply with the directive whenever Khan formally asks him to resign.

“I will step down from the Public Accounts Committee chairmanship as soon as Imran Khan instructs me to,” he stated.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja declined to comment, saying: “This is an internal party matter, and I do not wish to offer a public position at this time.”