WEB DESK: The declared assets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister-designate Sohail Afridi show that he might be the country’s poorest provincial chief executive, with total assets amounting to mere Rs578,000.
According to official documents obtained by Hum Investigation, Afridi’s total declared assets in the fiscal year 2023 stood at Rs376,000, an increase of Rs200,000 over the previous year.
The records show that Afridi does not own any house, business, or vehicle. Instead, his listed possessions include only a refrigerator, a washing machine, and two bank accounts with modest balances.
Government documents confirm that Afridi, who was recently nominated as KP’s next chief minister, has no commercial or residential property registered under his name.
Officials familiar with the matter said that the investigation team obtained details of his assets from official filings submitted under the Election Act. Afridi’s modest asset declaration stands in stark contrast to the typically wealthy profiles of provincial chief ministers, sparking discussion about the socioeconomic diversity among Pakistan’s political leadership.
Efforts to reach Sohail Afridi for comment on his declared wealth remained unsuccessful till the filing of this report.
Who is Sohail Afridi?
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Wednesday confirmed that party chairman Imran Khan has decided to replace Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur with Sohail Afridi.
Afridi, 36, hails from Qaim Khel in Bara, district Khyber, and will be the youngest chief minister in the province’s history as well as the first from the merged tribal districts. A first-time MPA elected in the 2024 general elections, he previously served as PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president of the Insaf Students Federation, Special Assistant on Communication and Works, and later as Minister for Higher Education.
Raja said Gandapur’s removal came amid deteriorating security in the province and increasing terror incidents, which deeply concerned Imran Khan. He added that the PTI founder believed a new leadership was necessary to ensure peace and stability.
Imran Khan, Raja noted, had long maintained that peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across Pakistan required engagement with tribal communities, the Afghan government, and regional stakeholders — rather than confrontation.
Following the announcement, Gandapur confirmed his resignation, saying he was stepping down on Khan’s instructions and pledged full support for Afridi, stressing that the party would remain united in its efforts for Khan’s release and the PTI’s political mission.