PESHAWAR: In a dramatic turn of events in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s political landscape, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has moved swiftly to replace Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur with Sohail Afridi following Gandapur’s resignation.
PTI’s provincial president, Junaid Akbar Khan, held a fiery press conference earlier on Saturday, hailing the transition as a democratic triumph and throwing down the gauntlet to opposition forces.
“Sohail Afridi is a clean person, and he will definitely be made the Chief Minister,” Khan declared, expressing gratitude to Gandapur for his prompt action. “I thank Ali Amin Gandapur that as soon as he received party’s founder Imran Khan’s instructions, he did not waste a minute and resigned.”
Khan emphasized PTI’s unassailable mandate in the province, underscoring the party’s constitutional and legal right to effect leadership changes.
“We have the mandate of the province, and Imran Khan has the discretion to make a change whenever he deems approperiate,” he asserted.
Dismissing rumors of internal discord, Khan challenged his detractors: “You claim that we have affidavits, so I challenge you to convince any one of our 92 members to speak against us.” He revealed that a parliamentary meeting had already convened, with all 92 PTI lawmakers poised to vote for Afridi.
“All the workers of our party are standing with him, and we will get Sohail Afridi elected as the Chief Minister. I congratulate Sohail Afridi. He will now form a good team, and if there is any deficiency, it will be removed. The party will fully support Sohail Afridi.”
The sequence of events unfolded late last night after high-level consultations within PTI’s central leadership. On Imran Khan’s explicit instructions, Gandapur tendered his resignation as Chief Minister, paving the way for Afridi’s nomination as his successor.
However, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi threw a wrench into the process by stating that he had not formally received the resignation document, effectively stalling the handover.
Undeterred, PTI escalated the matter by requisitioning an emergency session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday. Sources within the party indicated that the session was primarily to focus on tabling and passing a no-confidence motion against Gandapur, ensuring a smooth transition to Afridi.
“The resignation was not accepted, so we’re removing him through the no-confidence route,” a PTI spokesperson confirmed, adding that the move aligns with the party’s strategy to maintain governance continuity amid mounting political pressures.
However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi later in the day admitted that the resignation of PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur has been “duly received and acknowledged” by the Governor’s House.
“Today at 2:30 pm, the handwritten resignation advice of the CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was duly received and acknowledged by Governor House,” Kundi posted on X.
“After thorough scrutiny and legal formalities as per the constitution [and] relevant laws, the subject resignation will be processed in due course of time,” he added.
Earlier, the leadership of PTI expressed full confidence in Sohail Afridi as their nominee for the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, an extraordinary meeting took place at the Speaker’s House and was attended by PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, KPK Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, provincial president Junaid Akbar, and a large number of party lawmakers.
Sohail Afridi also participated in the meeting, where the party leadership and assembly members officially named him as their candidate for chief minister.
During the meeting, it was also decided to follow the constitutional and parliamentary procedures for electing the new CM. Sources further revealed that due to constitutional complexities surrounding Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation, a fresh handwritten resignation letter has been prepared and sent to the Governor of the KP. Insiders suggest if Governor KP still refuses to accept the resignation, the PTI may move a no-confidence motion against Gandapur and replace him with Afridi.
Speaking after the meeting, PTI’s provincial President Junaid Akbar stated that the party currently has 92 votes and is aiming for a total of 100. He also confirmed that efforts are underway to build alliances with other parties for support in the election.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session has been scheduled for 3:00 PM today. During the session, PTI is expected to respond officially to recent allegations made against the party. The political atmosphere in the province has intensified, and the next 24 hours are seen as critical in determining the future political leadership of KP.
