The controversy surrounding the resignation of outgoing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has taken another turn after Governor Faisal Karim Kundi returned two separate letters submitted by the former for “disparate signatures” and summoned him on October 15 (Wednesday) to resolve the matter.
The development comes as a session of the KP Assembly was convened for 10 am with the election of the prime minister on the agenda. The session has not started yet.
In a post on social media platform X late Sunday night, Kundi said the prime minister’s resignation had been “returned with observation.”
He also shared a letter addressed to Gandapur, in which he stated that the Governor’s House had received two resignation letters on October 8 and 11, which had “disparate and different signatures”.
“Since I am out of the city and intend to return to Peshawar on October 15, we advise you to visit the Governor House on October 15 at 3 pm so that the authenticity of the alleged resignations can be verified and the matter resolved as per the mandate of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gandapur responded to Kundi’s post on
He further stated that both resignations submitted by him bore his “authentic signatures”.
resignation row
On October 8, Gandapur said he had resigned from his post as provincial chief executive, while party general secretary Salman Akram Raja confirmed that party founder Imran Khan had directed Sohail Afridi to take up the role of CM.
The letter, shared by Gandapur on X, was typed on his official letterhead and signed at the bottom. However, this initial letter of resignation apparently got lost in the bureaucracy, and the Governor’s House denied receiving it.
On October 11, Kundi stated that the Governor House had received a handwritten resignation letter from Gandapur. “After thorough scrutiny and legal formalities according to the constitution [and] relevant laws, the subject’s resignation will be processed in due time,” he had added.
A day earlier, a PTI parliamentary delegation had met Kundi at his Islamabad residence. The delegation included Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, Junaid Akbar and others.
The PTI representatives had sought the support of the PPP to ensure democratic values during the election of the prime minister. They said the PPP had always claimed to place value on democratic norms.
Kundi had declared that Gandapur’s resignation would be accepted as per constitutional requirements. He also highlighted the need for joint efforts to ensure peace and public services in the province.
4 candidates in the race for the next CM
On Sunday, four candidates submitted their nomination papers to the speaker of the provincial assembly for the election of the new prime minister scheduled for today.
Among those who filed nomination papers was PTI’s chief minister-designate Sohail Afridi, while JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman, PML-N’s Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf and PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan represented opposition parties in the KP Assembly.
KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati approved all the nomination papers after scrutiny.
A candidate needs to get at least 73 votes in the 145-member KP Assembly to win the CM elections.
After filing his nomination papers, PTI candidate Sohail Afridi told reporters that democracy must prevail and the Constitution provides a clear and smooth process for the election of the house leader. “No one should interfere in the process of electing the new prime minister,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at the assembly premises, opposition leader Dr Ibadullah expressed shock over the situation and said, “How can there be two chief ministers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? The resignation tendered by the sitting chief minister is yet to be approved by the governor while the PTI is proceeding to elect another chief minister.”
He added that a strange situation had arisen as the sitting prime minister had not officially left office, the provincial cabinet was still intact and yet elections were being held for another prime minister. “We are dealing with politically inexperienced people,” commented Dr. Ibadullah.
JUI-F parliamentary leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman claimed that the PTI was hastily holding elections to elect the house leader.
“The governor can still return the resignation, as it has not yet been approved,” he said, adding that he could be the joint candidate of the opposition alliance. He argued that the governor was the constitutional head of the province and that the PTI should have waited for formal approval of the resignation before proceeding. “It is inappropriate to hold elections for prime minister while the incumbent is still in office,” he said.
When asked if the opposition intended to challenge today’s elections in court, he said anyone can go to court to challenge any unconstitutional act.
PTI KP Deputy Information Secretary Ikram Khatana also said Sunrise that a delegation of party leaders, led by its provincial president, MNA Junaid Akbar Khan, visited the residences of JUI-F, ANP and PML-N leaders to seek their support to elect Sohail Afridi unopposed.
“The PTI also urged the opposition leaders not to support any unconstitutional or illegal measures by invisible forces seeking to create obstacles in the election of the prime minister,” he said. According to Khatana, the ANP leadership assured the PTI that it would not be part of any horse-trading or monetary influence in the elections, while the PML-N and JUI-F leaders said they would convey the PTI’s message to its central leadership.
