Ali Amin Gandapur formally tenders resignation as KP chief minister

ISLAMABAD: Following confirmation from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding the nomination of Sohail Afridi as the new chief minister, Ali Amin Gandapur has formally resigned as the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to sources, he formally sent his resignation to KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday.

In a statement issued, Gandapur said the chief minister’s office was a trust (amanat) given to him by Imran Khan, and he was returning it as per Khan’s instructions.

While stepping down, Gandapur said that he will fully support the newly nominated chief minister and will continue to back him.

Earlier PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that Ali Amin Gandapur has been asked to resign 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.