ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has confirmed the replacement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, announcing that Sohail Afridi will replace him.
Sohail Afridi hails from Qaim Khel, Bara in district Khyber and was elected as a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) for the first time from the district in the 2024 general election.
He previously served as the President of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for several years.
In the PTI provincial government, Sohail Afridi held the portfolio of Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Communication and Works.
Following a reshuffle in the provincial cabinet, he was appointed as Minister for Higher Education.
Sohail Afridi is also a member of PTI’s Central Executive Committee.
Earlier, talking to the media outside Adia jail, Salman Akram Raja said, “Yes, this is correct — absolutely correct. Khan sahib has made this decision. There is a procedure to it,” when asked whether Muhammad Sohail Afridi would replace Ali Amin Gandapur.
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 added 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.
Meanwhile, Ali Amin Gandapur has 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.
Earlier, the PTI had dismissed reports circulating on social media as false, denying any change in the provincial leadership.