Gandapur steps down as PTI picks Sohail Afridi for KP chief minister’s slot

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PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek -e -Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandpur resigned as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, saying he was retiring on the direction of party founder Imran Khan.

Gandapur officially presented his resignation to PPP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and said that the post of Chief Minister was a confidence in PTI founder Imran Khan.

In a post on X, Gandapur – a fire brand PTI leader, who also served as Federal Minister during Khan’s premiere – said he was returning the trust as per the directions of the party’s founder – which has been behind bars since August 2023.

He wrote, “With respect to my leader’s orders, and PTI chairman, the founder of Imran Khan, it is my honor that the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has resigned from the post of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

The outgoing Chief Minister said that when he alleged as the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was suffering from a “curse of financial ruin and terrorism”.

He said that with the support of his cabinet, party members, workers and bureaucratic team, the provincial government restored financial stability and launched major country -making projects in a province “has been ranked as a warrior.”

Thanking both his cabinet colleagues, the ruling PTI and the opposition lawmakers and provincial officers, Gandpur said he faced “extraordinary challenges of governance” during his tenure.

“I will not be able to perform well on all these challenges,” he wrote, “he added:” But I can say with great certainty that I served with absolute sincerity with the people of KP and always worked in the best interest of Pakistan. “

Prior to his announcement, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed the end of Gandpur and said that the decision was made by the founder of the party.

Raja told reporters in Rawalpindi, “It is true that Ali Amin Gandpur is being removed from the Chief Minister’s office,” Raja told reporters in Rawalpindi, adding that Afridi has been nominated as the new KP Chief Minister.

Expressing confidence in the new provincial leadership, he said: “We expect Sohail Afridi to guide and advise the federal government on these issues.”

He added that the PTI founder had directed Gandpur to resign, and said that the move was in his own interest. “There will be no problem,” he said.

Raja added that the party is preparing to announce a “new policy and a new beginning”.

The province is facing a dangerous wave of terrorism, the PTI’s top leader said. He said the KP government was advised to remove itself in the name of “poor federal government policies”, especially those who are related to deportation of Afghan citizens.

He remarked, “The way Afghan citizens was evacuated was unnecessary.”

The PTI leader also criticized former Foreign Minister Bilal Bhutto-Zardari, saying: “He has been the Foreign Minister for more than a year and has never gone to Afghanistan.”

Raja said that terrorism can be eliminated only through dialogue. He stressed, “The only way to end terrorism is to sit together and talk together.”

Commenting on other political issues, he said that several cases have been registered against PTI founder’s sister, Elima Khan, while “PTI’s founder believes that Noreen Khan will now move his message.”

Talking to reporters in Islamabad, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said that Gandapur will submit his resignation to KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi tomorrow (Thursday).

The PTI chairman dismissed information about a raft within the party, saying that the party was united.

He added, “There is no forward block in the PTI. The captain has the responsibility to decide which and which player is. All the members of the PTI are loyal to the PTI founder.”

Riftes within PTI

The development comes in the midst of reports of increasing internal rifts within the party as PTI founders Imran Khan’s sister Gandpur and Elima Khan recently traded Barbus and accused each other.

To eliminate internal tensions, the founder of the imprisoned PTI instructed Gandapur and his sister to refrain from public remarks,

Earlier, Gandpur had warned PTI founder Imran Khan about the dwarf of the party in the party and Elema Khan about “Voljers” about trying to promote the next chairperson and even the prime minister.

The KPCM, in a video message on social media, alleged that PTI’s founder’s sister, Elmah, was not only refusing to control the villagers but was supporting her poor campaign.

Gandapur mentioned that he has also conveyed to the PTI founder that columnist Hafizullah Niazi – a relative of Imran – was writing articles that were presented as “party chairperson and prime minister”.

Reacting to this development, political analyst Shah Zeb Khanzada said that it seems that Emma Khan is dominant.

“The differences between Gandpur and Khan are not new,” he added. There were questions about Emma Khan inside the party. “

According to Khanzada, recent reports indicated that Gandpur’s position was in danger for some time.

When he was released from jail, KP Chief Minister and Basra Bibi did not come together in a short term.