PA to elect a new CM on Monday: Salman Akram Raja, Federal govt trying to block CM election, alleges Junaid Akbar
\nJAVED KHAN
\nPESHAWAR
\nPakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday claimed to have finalized its internal strategy to elect Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following the resignation of Ali Amin Gandapur.
\nThe announcement was made during an emergency press conference held at the party\u2019s provincial secretariat in Peshawar.
\nAddressing the media, PTI\u2019s Central Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed that the process to elect a new chief minister was in motion and will reach its logical conclusion on Monday.
\n\u201cThe change in leadership is an internal matter of the party. Following the directives of our founding chairman Imran Khan, Sohail Afridi is our unanimous choice for Chief Minister,\u201d he stated.
\nTo a question, he clarified the legal position of the resignation of incumbent CM KP under Article 130(8) of the Constitution, asserting that a chief minister\u2019s resignation did not require approval from the governor. \u201cThe Governor has received the handwritten resignation of Ali Amin Gandapur, and a receipt has been issued,\u201d he added.
\nPTI KP chapter president Junaid Akbar Khan, in a media talk, flanked by party leaders including Asad Qaiser, reiterated that the decision to nominate Sohail Afridi was made in a unanimous parliamentary party meeting.
\n\u201cThere is no grouping within PTI. Sohail Afridi has been nominated by the incarcerated Imran Khan for the betterment of the province and the party\u2019s future,\u201d said Akbar.
\nHe emphasized that the transition was part of a democratic parliamentary process.
\nAsad Qaiser, senior PTI leader and former Speaker of the National Assembly, endorsed Afridi\u2019s nomination, calling him an asset to the party. \u201cHe has been with PTI since his student days and served as president of the Insaf Student Federation (ISF). He enjoys the full support of the party,\u201d Qaiser stated.
\nThe party leaders also emphasized that Afridi\u2019s nomination carries significant symbolic value, as he would be the first chief minister from the tribal areas. \u201cWe hope his leadership will usher in peace and stability in the province.
\nPTI has no leniency for terrorism, and we are committed to ending bloodshed,\u201d said Salman Akram Raja.
\nThe party announced that the KP Assembly will convene on Monday (tomorrow), where Sohail Afridi is expected to be formally elected as the new leader of the house. He will then form a new cabinet, which will include fresh faces, according to PTI leadership.
\nMeanwhile, Governor KP Faisal Karim Kundi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), confirmed receipt of Gandapur\u2019s resignation. He stated that legal and constitutional requirements will be fulfilled before the resignation is officially implemented.
\nDue to the Sunday holiday, the Governor\u2019s legal team will reconvene on Monday to finalize the constitutional opinion on the matter. Sources confirmed that the Governor will personally review the legal advice and relevant documentation before taking any final decision.
\nWith both political and legal developments unfolding simultaneously, Monday is shaping up to be a decisive day in KP\u2019s political landscape.
\nIn a significant move, senior PTI leaders, Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar, and Irfan Saleem, visited the headquarters of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to seek the party\u2019s support for the unopposed election of Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister in the provincial assembly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PA to elect a new CM on Monday: Salman Akram Raja, Federal govt trying to block CM election, alleges Junaid Akbar JAVED KHAN PESHAWAR Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday claimed to have finalized its internal strategy to elect Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following the resignation of Ali Amin Gandapur. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-508029","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n