PESHAWAR saw high political drama on Monday as PTI’s Sohail Afridi was elected the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, even as controversy deepened over outgoing CM Ali Amin Gandapur’s disputed resignation. Afridi secured 90 votes in the provincial assembly, while opposition candidates Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf, and Arbab Zarak Khan received none, as their parties boycotted the process and staged a walkout.
The assembly session, chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, turned tense when opposition leader Dr Ibadullah Khan declared the proceedings “unlawful,” citing that Gandapur’s resignation had not been formally accepted by the governor. The opposition walked out moments before the vote.
The dispute stems from Governor Faisal Karim Kundi’s rejection of Gandapur’s resignation, questioning the authenticity of his signatures on two separate letters submitted on October 8 and 11. Gandapur, who stepped down on the directive of PTI founder Imran Khan, maintains both letters bear his genuine signature.
In his ruling, Speaker Swati dismissed the governor’s objections as “unconstitutional,” saying Gandapur had resigned under Article 130(8) of the Constitution. He cited precedent from the Hafiz Hamdullah case, adding that all constitutional requirements had been fulfilled. “It is my responsibility to protect the Constitution and the law,” he said, insisting that the resignation was valid and that the assembly was within its right to elect a new chief minister.
Afridi, a relatively young PTI leader who entered politics in 2015 and became an MPA in 2024, is seen as a loyalist to the party’s top leadership. His appointment drew sharp criticism from the federal government, which accused PTI of “harbouring sympathies” for extremist elements.
Despite the controversy, Afridi’s election marks a new chapter in KP’s political landscape — one already clouded by legal wrangling, constitutional debate, and deepening polarisation between PTI and the ruling coalition in Islamabad.