Khokhar resigns as senator.

ISLAMABAD -- Days after taking a firm and fearless position against surveillance and phone tapping of politicians by intelligence agencies, provoking the ire of his leadership, PPP's Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar formally resigned as a senator on Thursday.

Mr Khokhar handed in his resignation to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, who immediately accepted it. 'Upon receiving instructions through Senator Farooq Naek, I hereby tender my resignation from the Senate of Pakistan as senator,' the brief resignation reads.

He posted a photograph on Twitter showing him presenting his resignation to Mr Sanjrani with a smile on his face.

'Alhamdulillah, I have formally submitted my resignation today. I'm thankful for the positive response and support across party lines which was far beyond my imagination,' Mr Khokhar tweeted, welcoming the applause he won from politicians, mainly from the PTI for an honourable exit on a principled stand.

Elected as a senator from Sindh on the PPP ticket in March 2018 for a six-year term, Mr Khokhar had revealed his plan to quit around four months ahead of his completion of his term two days ago.

In his reaction, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted: 'A principled resignation tendered. Good luck for his future endeavours.'

What apparently annoyed the party...