PTI to remove Ali Amin Gandapur as KP chief minister

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.

Confirming the development during a media talk 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 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 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.

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.

The PTI founder asserted that the only way to end terrorism was through dialogue and by addressing the issue in a broader context to find a lasting solution.

According to Salman Akram Raja, Imran Khan hoped that with Sohail Afridi becoming chief minister, a new government and a new mindset would emerge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — one that would promote understanding, seek guidance from the jirga system, and pursue a sustainable path to peace.

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.

Muhammad Sohail Afridi, who holds the portfolio of Provincial Minister for Higher Education, was elected member KP Assembly for the first time in 2024 general election from Qaim Khel, Bara, District Khyber. He holds BSc economics degree and a businessman by profession.

Earlier, Sohail Afridi said that there was “no truth” to reports about a change in the chief minister, adding that “false news” was being spread on social media.

Afridi stated that Ali Amin will remain the chief minister, while Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also denied reports of Gandapur’s removal.

This to clarify that I have not made any statement to the media about Ali Amin Gandapur. I have not spoken to any media outlet that “news about change of CM KPK is fake or the it is conspiracy against the party”. This was clarified by ARY news that had aired the alleged news. pic.twitter.com/nZDaDGzXfe

— Barrister Gohar Khan (@BarristerGohar) October 8, 2025

It is worth mentioning that social media was abuzz with claims that PTI had decided to remove Ali Amin Gandapur from the post of chief minister and appoint Sohail Afridi as his replacement.

Earlier, Ali Amin Gandapur alleged that PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan played a central role in sowing division within the party.

In a video message released after meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala jail, Gandapur had said that it was his first meeting with the former prime minister in a long time.

He alleged that Aleema Khan played a “central role” in fostering division in the PTI by pitching the “minus-Imran Khan” narrative, which he said had demoralised the party.

Gandapur further alleged that some vloggers targeting the PTI and spreading rifts were in contact with Aleema Khan and that instead of stopping them, she encouraged them.