PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said that Ali Amin Gandapur has been asked to resign as chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan nominated Sohail Afridi as his replacement.
Talking to the media in Islamabad, Gohar said that under the law, the chief minister’s resignation has to be submitted to the governor. He said that Gandapur will send his resignation to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday.
He further said that Ali Amin Gandapur will leave for Peshawar shortly from Islamabad to complete the formal process.
Dispelling rumours of internal rifts, Barrister Gohar emphasised that there is no forward bloc within the PTI. “We are all united — 91 members of the provincial assembly stand together,” he said.
He said that the party’s two-thirds majority in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly remains intact and that all decisions have been taken in consultation with party leadership.
Gohar confirmed that Sohail Afridi has been nominated as the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that he will lead the province with the full support of the party.
According to sources, the PTI founder, during a court hearing at Adiala jail, directed party leaders to remove Gandapur from the chief minister’s office. He also named Sohail Afridi as his replacement — a decision later confirmed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.
Confirming the development during a media talk outside Adia jail, Salman Akram Raja earlier said, “Yes, this is correct — absolutely correct. Khan sahib has made this decision. There is a procedure to it.”
When asked whether KP MPA Muhammad Sohail Afridi would replace Ali Amin Gandapur, Raja responded, “Yes, this is correct.”
Salman Akram Raja said that Ali Amin Gandapur had levelled serious allegations against Aleema Khan, accusing her of causing divisions within the party.
He said that the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had worsened due to rising incidents of terrorism. Imran Khan, he added, was deeply saddened by the recent spike in terror attacks, particularly expressing grief over the martyrdom of soldiers in the Orakzai district attack earlier in the day. Khan remarked that he was left with “no option but to make a change.”
He said the PTI founder reminded them that for the past two years, his stance had been that the federal government’s current approach and policy were entirely flawed, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should distance itself from that policy — a policy rooted in conflict and confrontation.
He said that throughout this period, Imran Khan repeatedly maintained that peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across Pakistan would not be achieved until all stakeholders — including the tribal communities, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people — were engaged in the process.
The PTI founder said the way Afghan refugees were expelled and humiliated had sown unnecessary hatred. “After forty years of hospitality, what we have done is unforgivable,” he said.
Imran Khan also criticised former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for not visiting Kabul even once during his more than a year-long tenure, nor establishing any communication with the Afghan government. “During my government, terrorism was at a historic low. The kind of attacks happening today did not occur then,” he said.
In his resignation statement, Gandapur said the position of chief minister was a trust bestowed upon him by Imran Khan, and he was returning it in accordance with his leader’s instructions. “I fully support and stand by the new chief minister,” he added.
Earlier, Ali Amin Gandapur announced his resignation. In a statement, Gandapur said that he was stepping down from the office of chief minister on the instructions of the PTI founder.
He said that Sohail Afridi would have his full support and backing. Gandapur further said that they would move forward in unity for the release of the PTI founder and in line with the party’s policy.
Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said he had not yet received Gandapur’s formal resignation.
He added that PTI must clarify the reason for replacing its chief minister, noting that he had previously stated action would be taken against “traitors” within the party. “It must be known what role Ali Amin Gandapur played, as the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has worsened significantly,” the governor said.