Khadijah Shah decides to quit US citizenship to become PTI MNA on reserved seat

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist Khadijah Shah has announced she will relinquish her United States citizenship after accepting the party's nomination for reserved seats in National Assembly.

"Making the decision to relinquish my US citizenship, which guarantees freedom, safety, and opportunity, was not easy. However, Pakistan is my motherland, the place I call home, and the country where I've built my life. I cannot give up on it and my people," said Shah in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

The PTI supporter, a fashion designer by profession, has been involved in legal cases over her alleged involvement in the May 9 riots. The riots were triggered after party founder Imran Khan's arrest in a graft case, leading to vandalism of military installations including the General Headquarters (GHQ) and Lahore Corps Commander's House.

Shah surrendered to the Punjab police in Lahore on May 23 last year and spent months behind bars before securing bail by an anti-terrorism court in Quetta in January 2024.

In her social media post, the PTI activist expressed honour at being nominated by Khan for reserved seats, accepting it with "hope to live up to his expectations and those of my fellow citizens".