Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Aleem Khan on Friday announced he was resigning from the post of Punjab minister to maintain "neutrality" as he was the owner of the news channel Samaa TV.

In a tweet, Punjab Minister for Food said he held a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan in which he convinced the premier that being the owner of a news channel it was important he maintain neutrality and not hold a government position. Khan, in his tweet, expressed gratefulness to the premier for accepting his request.

He said he would send his resignation from the post of provincial minister to the Punjab chief minister.

Khan bought Samaa TV in September.

The shares of Samaa TV were shifted to Park View Limited, a real estate company owned by Aleem Khan and his daughter, in September, according to a BBC report.

Earlier, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) approved the transfer of shares and changes in the management of Samaa TV.

Samaa was recently in the news after it published a news report contradicting a story by Fact Focus.

Fact Focus earlier this week published an audio clip of former chief justice Saqib Nisar which claimed that the ex-CJP was directed not to release former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz till the general election of 2018.

Samaa TV said the leaked audio was "not real" which prompted many social media users to say the story was done because of its owner's link to PTI.

In the ex-CJP's speech on February 2018, he can be heard saying "my friends agreed with me". However, the audio clip said "my friends did not agree with me".