Gandapur resigns as KP chief minister on PTI founder’s instructions

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday announced his resignation from office, stating that the decision was made in line with instructions from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder.

“I am resigning from the office of chief minister on the instructions of our party founder,” Gandapur said in a statement, adding that he fully supports the party’s nominee, Sohail Afridi, who is expected to be elected as the new provincial chief executive.

Gandapur said that all PTI members would continue working collectively for the release of the party founder and the implementation of the party’s policies.

The announcement came shortly after PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed Gandapur’s removal, saying the decision had been finalised by the party leadership.

“It is correct that Ali Amin Gandapur is being removed from the office of chief minister,” Raja told reporters in Rawalpindi. “Sohail Afridi has been nominated as the new chief minister of KP.”

Expressing confidence in the incoming leadership, Raja said Afridi would be expected to provide guidance on key provincial and national issues. “We expect Sohail Afridi to guide and advise the federal government on these matters,” he said.

He added that the PTI founder had directed Gandapur to resign in his own best interest, noting that the transition would proceed smoothly. “There will be no difficulty — Gandapur will resign, and the assembly will elect Afridi as the new chief minister,” he said.

Raja also said the party was preparing to announce a “new policy and a fresh beginning,” as part of broader political restructuring.

Highlighting the deteriorating security situation in the province, he said the PTI leadership had advised the KP government to distance itself from the federal administration’s “flawed policies,” particularly regarding the expulsion of Afghan citizens.

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“The way Afghan nationals were expelled was unnecessary,” he remarked, while also criticising former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying he “remained foreign minister for over a year and never visited Afghanistan.”

Raja maintained that lasting peace in the region could only be achieved through dialogue. “The only way to end terrorism is to sit together and negotiate,” he said.

Commenting on other matters, he said several cases had been registered against the PTI founder’s sister, Aleema Khan, while expressing confidence that Noreen Khan would now carry forward the party’s message.