PESHAWAR: In a session dominated by political tension and procedural disputes, PTI lawmaker Sohail Afridi was elected the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday.
The vote took place amid a dramatic walkout by the opposition, raising questions over the legality and timing of the proceedings while the resignation of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur remained unresolved.
KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati presided over the session and pushed ahead with the vote despite the opposition’s absence. Swati announced that three opposition candidates, Maulana Lutfur Rehman of JUI-F, Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf of PML-N, and Arbab Zarak Khan of PPP, had each secured zero votes.
Afridi, meanwhile, won 90 votes in the 145-member assembly, surpassing the 73 votes required for election. Chants in support of the PTI leader echoed throughout the assembly hall as his victory was confirmed. Three members of the house were abroad and therefore did not participate in the vote.
The opposition, which numbers 53 members in the assembly, largely staged a walkout following a call from Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah. Only two opposition members were present during the session. Dr Ibadullah told Dawn.com that the party did not recognize Afridi as the new chief minister.
“The PTI is interpreting the law according to its own understanding, while we are following ours. There are grey areas, and now the courts must decide,” he said, adding that the opposition planned to pursue legal action.
He further claimed that with Gandapur’s resignation pending acceptance, the province effectively had “two chief ministers.”
Gandapur had submitted two separate resignation letters to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, but both were returned due to what the governor’s office described as “disparate signatures.” Kundi has summoned Gandapur to the Governor House on October 15 to resolve the matter and verify the authenticity of the letters.
Following Afridi’s election, Naeem Haider Panjutha, a member of PTI founder Imran Khan’s legal team, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the party had approached the Peshawar High Court regarding the oath-taking of the new chief minister. Article 129 of the Constitution specifies that the governor is responsible for administering the oath of office to a chief minister.
Panjutha noted that in case of the governor’s refusal, the PHC chief justice has the authority to administer the oath. “In any case, the oath-taking will take place today,” he said, adding that the party’s request had already reached the chief justice. In another post, Panjutha referenced Article 255, which allows the court to designate an alternate official for the oath-taking if necessary.
Speaker Swati also confirmed via X that he had formally forwarded the summary to the governor’s office for Afridi’s oath-taking.
During his maiden address to the assembly, Afridi paid tribute to PTI founder Imran Khan, highlighting that he had been chosen despite being a grassroots worker from a middle-class family without familial political ties.
“Neither Bhutto, Zardari, nor Sharif are attached to my name,” he said, stressing the symbolic significance of his selection for tribal districts historically marginalized in national politics.
Afridi described a 78-year-long mindset that relegated the tribal areas to the periphery, treating its people as expendable and its development as secondary. He said the decision to field him as the province’s chief minister had been met with widespread jubilation in these districts.
Afridi also extended gratitude to Gandapur, praising the outgoing chief minister’s graceful resignation. He emphasized that he had no personal wealth or ambition tied to the office and identified himself as a “champion of the politics of protest.” “No cars, no bungalows, no riches, and no greed for the seat. The day my leader tells me to vacate the seat, I will step aside,” he declared.
Addressing security concerns, Afridi questioned the efficacy of military operations in curbing terrorism. He highlighted the ongoing suffering of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and stressed that counterterrorism and Afghanistan-related policies must involve local populations.
He criticized the forced repatriation of Afghan refugees who had resided in Pakistan for decades and pledged to raise concerns regarding the treatment of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) with the federal government.
PTI leaders, including Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, and Asad Qaiser, congratulated Afridi, framing his election as a reflection of Imran Khan’s vision to promote youth and middle-class leaders.
Qaiser noted that Afridi’s rise from student politics to provincial leadership embodied the party’s commitment to merit and grassroots activism. MNA Junaid Akbar lauded the provincial assembly members for their loyalty to Imran Khan, emphasizing unity and resistance to external pressures.
Before the vote, Dr Ibadullah addressed the assembly, terming the election “unconstitutional.” He argued that Gandapur’s resignation had not yet been accepted and that the cabinet had not been denotified, making the election of a new chief minister invalid under the Constitution.
“In the presence of an existing chief minister, the election of a new chief minister is unconstitutional. We will not participate in this procedure,” he said. He questioned the necessity of hastening the election despite PTI’s numerical advantage, describing the process as forced and legally questionable.
Speaker Swati defended the proceedings, asserting that Gandapur had submitted his resignation twice and that the election adhered to Article 130 of the Constitution. “The chief minister of a province is a constitutional office holder. Clause eight of Article 130 allows the tendering of resignation under the CM’s hand. I rule that the election of the chief minister is being conducted lawfully,” he said.
At the session’s start, Gandapur extended “advance congratulations” to Afridi and commended PTI’s ongoing political struggle under Imran Khan.
He highlighted fiscal achievements during his tenure, noting that the provincial government’s treasury had grown to Rs280 million despite previous constraints and that the Annual Development Programme had been exceeded in delivering funds to all constituencies. Gandapur called for a focus on governance challenges and public service delivery, emphasizing the importance of law and order over political disputes.
The controversy over Gandapur’s resignation intensified on Sunday night when Governor Kundi returned both letters, citing “disparate and unalike signatures.” The governor instructed Gandapur to visit the Governor House on October 15 to verify the authenticity of the letters and ensure compliance with the Constitution.
Gandapur responded that both resignation letters bore his genuine signatures, including the October 8 submission, which had previously been denied by the governor’s office.
Earlier, a PTI parliamentary delegation, including Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, and Junaid Akbar, had met the governor seeking support from the PPP to uphold democratic norms during the chief minister’s election.
Kundi assured that Gandapur’s resignation would be processed according to constitutional requirements and underscored the need for cooperation to maintain peace and public services in KP.
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