Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) nominee Sohail Afridi has been elected as the new chief minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), securing 90 votes amid opposition boycotts over an “unconstitutional” election.
As per the details, KP Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced Afridi’s victory as the leader of the house, confirming that the election was held in accordance with constitutional provisions. He said that the province needed a chief executive elected legally.
Before the voting session, outgoing CM Gandapur addressed the assembly, offering his congratulations to Afridi and saying that the PTI’s political struggle would persist under the leadership of party founder Imran Khan.
He reiterated that he had resigned at Khan’s directive and urged for an uninterrupted democratic process. Gandapur further mentioned that all actions taken during his time in office were documented and subject to scrutiny.
Opponents, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), declined to participate in the voting process. Opp leader Dr Ibadullah, alongside Maulana Lutfur Rehman and Akram Durrani of JUI-F, exited the assembly before voting commenced.
Ibadullah said that the election was unconstitutional, asserting that Gandapur remained the rightful CM. “Electing another chief minister while one is still in office is illegal. We cannot partake in this unconstitutional act,” he remarked.
It may be noted that he was referring to the ongoing tussle between Gandapur and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi regarding the validity of the former’s resignation.
Governor Kundi had previously returned Gandapur’s resignation, questioning the authenticity of his signature, and had summoned him to the Governor House on October 15 for verification.
In a post on X, Gandapur said that the governor’s office had already acknowledged his resignation submitted on October 8 and that both his letters, dated October 8 and October 11, bore his genuine signatures.
Earlier, the KP Assembly Secretariat confirmed that the nomination papers of four candidates, namely PTI’s Sohail Afridi, JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman, PML-N’s Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf and PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan, had been received but only Afridi’s candidacy proceeded due to the opposition’s boycott.
With Afridi’s election, the PTI has regained control of the provincial setup, even though doubts still linger regarding the legality of the transition and the status of Gandapur’s resignation.