Asad Umar thanks people for showing support

ISLAMABAD: Two days after stepping down as finance minister, Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar took to Twitter to express gratitude to the people who showed support following his decision to quit Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet.

“[I] want to thank the many many people who expressed support over the last 2 days. It is the millions of selfless, ideological, passionate supporters who are guardians of ideology of the tehreek,” he tweeted.

“It’s your passion from which Imran Khan & his team draw energy. May Allah bless you all”

want to thank the many many people who expressed support over the last 2 days. It is the millions of selfless, ideological, passionate supporters who are guardians of ideology of the tehreek. It’s your passion from which Imran Khan & his team draw energy. May Allah bless you all

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) April 20, 2019

Asad Umar stepped down in a cabinet shuffle on Thursday. The government named Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, a former World Bank official who served as finance minister from 2010-2013, as adviser on finance, replacing Umar.

Umar, one of Khan’s most powerful ministers, had been entrusted with the task of negotiating the long-delayed bailout with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country’s cash-strapped economy faces a balance-of-payments crisis.

“As part of a cabinet reshuffle, PM desired that I take the energy minister portfolio instead of finance,” Asad Umar had tweeted.