PTI MP Sohail Afridi was on Monday elected the new chief executive of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during an assembly session marred by the opposition strike and despite uncertainty over the resignation of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who went ahead with the elections despite the opposition strike, announced that JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman, PML-N’s Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf and PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan did not receive votes.
He also noted that three assembly members were outside the country. He then announced that Afridi had won the election after obtaining 90 votes, after which chants began to be heard in his name in the assembly hall.
Afridi needed to get at least 73 votes in the 145-member KP Assembly to win the election.
Speaking in the assembly after his victory was announced, Afridi said he was grateful to party founder Imran Khan for choosing someone who was a simple worker, belonged to a middle-class family and had no family ties to politics.
“And neither Bhutto, Zardari nor Sharif are linked to my name,” he thundered. He further said that he belonged to the tribal districts and was proud of his origins.
He said that for the last 78 years a particular mentality had prevailed regarding the tribal districts and their people. “This mentality dictates that people in the tribal areas are only there to die, that the tribal areas should always be left far behind.”
He further said that Imran was aware of the deprivations faced by the tribal districts.
“However, many times I am grateful [Imran]is not enough,” he said. He further said that the tribal districts were elated over the decision to field him as the new chief minister and were grateful to Imran and the party.
“As is the vision of my leader Imran, one does not become a leader by writing Sharif, Bhutto or Zardari along with his name,” he said.
The opposition denounces the “unconstitutional procedure”; The speaker continues
During the session, Opposition Leader Dr Ibadullah held up a copy of the Constitution and said: “Under this Constitution, the procedure is that first his resignation is accepted. Then the administration appoints the cabinet.”
He said the cabinet had not been denotified and the governor had not accepted Gandapur’s resignation.
“In the presence of an existing prime minister, the election of a new prime minister is unconstitutional. Therefore, we will not be part of this unconstitutional procedure,” he said.
He also questioned the need to make the issue controversial. “If you already have the numbers, why not wait a few days and do it constitutionally?”
He reiterated that the process was “unconstitutional” and said the opposition was staging a strike because it “did not want to be part of this.” He then proceeded to leave along with other members of the opposition.
Following the strike, KP Assembly Speaker Swati said Gandapur had sent his resignation to the governor twice and also announced the same in his speech.
“The point raised by the opposition leader, I give it by decision of the president so that it is clear what the Constitution says: this is unconstitutional and contrary to the law,” he stated.
Swati said that while some people wanted Afridi not to become the new prime minister, the Constitution was not working according to the wishes of the people.
“The chief minister of a province is the holder of a constitutional office in terms of Article 130. Clause eight of this article provides for the tendering of resignation by the chief minister under him… I declare that an election for the post of chief minister of the KP is legally conducted in accordance with the Constitution and the rules of the assembly,” he said.
Swati said the prime minister’s election would be held as per the schedule released today.
Gandapur gives ‘early congratulations’ to Afridi
At the start of the session, Gandapur gave his “early congratulations” to Afridi, the PTI’s pick for his replacement, as Treasury benches pounded their desks.
He assured them that PTI’s fight for justice would continue under the leadership of party founder Imran Khan. He expressed his pride for having tendered his resignation on October 8 following Imran’s directives.
He also called for allowing the democratic process to continue and refraining from creating obstacles in this regard. He also said that everything he had done as head of the provincial executive was part of the file and could be examined.
“A government can only be successful, a province can only be successful if it is self-reliant. Unfortunately, when our government came to power, we only had enough money for salaries for 18 months. But now I am proud to say that we have Rs 280 million in the treasury,” he said.
He further said that his government provided more than what it allocated in the Annual Development Programme. He claimed that under Imran’s vision, he had provided funds to all constituencies.
“In the end, I would like to say that we have a movement, a fight and that fight is not limited to Imran Khan. The sacrifice that he is making now, he is doing it for the good of the nation. We are with him and we will continue to do so,” he said.
He also called for addressing the challenges facing the province, saying the law and order situation was more important than engaging in a war of words.
“We have to move forward and focus on these challenges,” he said.
KP governor returns Gandapur’s resignation over ‘disparate’ signature
The controversy surrounding Gandapur’s resignation took another turn on Sunday night 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.
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.
