KP Assembly elects new CM sohail Afridi

PESHAWAR – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – Sohail Afridi, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) contender, was chosen as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s new chief minister on Monday, while opposition parties boycotted the election, calling it “unconstitutional.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly conducted a session today to pick the Chief Minister, and Speaker Babar Saleem Swati proclaimed Sohail Afridi’s win as Leader of the House with 90 votes.

Opposition parties, however, declined to take part in the process.

Speaker Swati emphasized that the election followed the constitutional calendar, noting, “The chief minister is the constitutional head of the province and must be elected as per the law.”

Leader of the Opposition Dr. Ibadullah, along with Maulana Lutfur Rehman and Akram Durrani of JUI-F, led a walkout from the assembly.

Ibadullah declared the election “unconstitutional,” insisting that he still recognizes Ali Amin Gandapur as the legitimate chief minister.

“The election of another Chief Minister while one is already in office is illegal. We cannot be part of this unconstitutional act,” he remarked before exiting the house.

Addressing the assembly, outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur congratulated Sohail Afridi, saying, “Our goal is peace and justice in the country.”
He confirmed that he had resigned on the instructions of PTI’s founder, urging the opposition not to delay the democratic process.

Meanwhile, PTI KP President Junaid Akbar warned lawmakers against defying party leadership. “Anyone betraying the founder PTI’s nominee will face public accountability,” he cautioned.

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Earlier, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi raised objections to Gandapur’s resignation, stating that two versions of his resignation letters carried mismatched signatures.

The Governor asked Gandapur to appear at the Governor House on October 15 at 3 p.m. to verify the resignation in person as per constitutional procedure.

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However, despite the pending verification, the Assembly proceeded with the election for a new chief minister.

In the 145-member provincial assembly, the government holds 93 seats, while the opposition has 52. A simple majority of 73 votes was required to elect the CM.

Four candidates were initially in the race — PTI’s Sohail Afridi, JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman, PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan, and PML-N’s Sardar Shahjahan Yousaf.