Sohail Afridi’s ascension: Will PTI’s strategic move pay off for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominee Sohail Afridi was elected on Monday as the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while opposition parties boycotted the election, terming it “unconstitutional”.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session was held today for the election of the CM, where Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced Sohail Afridi’s victory as Leader of the House with 90 votes.
Opposition parties, however, denied participation in the process.
Speaker Swati emphasised that the election was conducted in accordance with the constitutional schedule, stating, “The chief minister is the constitutional head of the province and must be elected as per the law.”
Opposition walks out in protest
Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah, along with Maulana Lutfur Rehman and Akram Durrani of JUI-F, led a walkout from the assembly.
Ibadullah declared the election “unconstitutional”, insisting that he still recognises Ali Amin Gandapur as the legitimate chief minister.
“The election of another Chief Minister while one is already in office is illegal. We cannot be part of this unconstitutional act,” he remarked before exiting the house.
Addressing the assembly, outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur congratulated Sohail Afridi, saying, “Our goal is peace and justice in the country.”
He confirmed that he had resigned on the instructions of PTI’s founder, urging the opposition not to delay the democratic process.
Meanwhile, PTI KP President Junaid Akbar warned lawmakers against defying party leadership.
“Anyone betraying the founder of PTI’s nominee will face public accountability,” he cautioned.
Earlier, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi raised objections to Gandapur’s resignation, stating that two versions of his resignation letters carried mismatched signatures.
The Governor asked Gandapur to appear at the Governor House on October 15 at 3 p.m. to verify the resignation in person as per constitutional procedure.
However, despite the pending verification, the Assembly proceeded with the election for a new chief minister.
In the 145-member provincial assembly, the government holds 93 seats, while the opposition has 52. A simple majority of 73 votes was required to elect the CM.
Four candidates were initially in the race — PTI’s Sohail Afridi, JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman, PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan, and PML-N’s Sardar Shahjahan Yousaf.
Will Sohail Afridi’s leadership address the province’s grieving issues?
Analysts believe that Sohail Afridi’s leadership in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is likely to bring hope for addressing serious issues.
Afridi has emphasized the need for self-sustainability in governance and highlighted his government’s efforts to provide funds to all constituencies.
He also acknowledged the province’s challenges, including law and order issues, and expressed commitment to Imran Khan’s vision.
