ISLAMABAD: Four days after his “rather meaningful” tweet on recent brutal murder of Hazara coal miners in Mach, Balochistan, prime minister’s spokesperson Nadeem Afzal Chan resigned from his office on Wednesday.

“I have resigned from the position of spokesperson to the Prime Minister,” said Mr Chan in a tweet.

Mr Chan’s resignation came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed annoyance during a cabinet meeting that some of its members were opposing the government’s decisions and asked them to either accept the same or tender a resignation.

The premier was of the view that after thorough discussions in cabinet meetings there was no logic for some of its members to oppose decisions that were often taken after developing a consensus, an aide to Mr Khan said during a TV talk show.

Soon after the premier’s remarks about the killing of coal miners had caused a furore, Mr Chan had tweeted: “Helpless and innocent bodies of slain coal miners, I am ashamed.”

When Mr Chan was contacted after this tweet, he had said his remarks were “the voice of his conscience” as he had advised the prime minister to immediately proceed to Quetta to meet the heirs of the slain coal miners.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2021