Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has confirmed that Sohail Afridi will be the new Chief Minister of KPK. He is likely to take oath tomorrow.
Talking to reporters in Islamabad, Advocate Salman Raja confirmed the replacement of the current Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Ali Amin Gandapur.
Mohammad Sohail Afridi currently serves as KPK’s higher education minister. He was earlier working as Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Communication & Works. He also served as President of KPK’s Youth Wing and Insaf Student Federation before joining the PTI. Afridi has Master’s degree in Economics from Peshawar University.
Elected as member of the provincial assembly from PK-70, District Khyber, many regarded Afridi as an outspoken young leader of the party. Sohail will be the first chief minister of KPK from former tribal region of Pakistan.
He contested the Feb 2024 general elections as PTI-backed Independent candidate from PK-70 Khyber-II. Afridi secured 31,649 votes, over 24,000 more than his rival PML-N candidate Bilawal Afridi. Bilawal received 7,401 votes.
Over the past two years, Afridi has frequently travelled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to meet his incarcerated leader Imran Khan. Afridi could be seen talking to Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan in videos on his social media pages.
Gandapur Resigned:
Media reports suggest Ali Amin Gandapur has resigned as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, this has yet not been officially confirmed.
Meanwhile, KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur has earlier announced that he will resign from the post following directions from PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.
Many observers link this development to Gandapur’s recent controversial video. In the video, KPK CM alleged that Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, was working for military intelligence (MI). He claimed she sought to create divisions within the PTI.
PTI Social Media and Fazlur Rehman Demand:
Meanwhile, some active members of the PTI social media team have accused Gandapur of aligning with the establishment. Social media platforms have long hosted campaigns critical of him. PTI members also claim that Ali Amin Gandapur frequently diverted the party’s focus from key issues, such as the release of Imran Khan, to other topics.
A couple of months ago, Ali Amin Gandapur had claimed that he would resign and quit politics if Imran Khan was not released from Adiala Jail by November. He had issued a 90-day ultimatum for Khan’s release, which he was ultimately unable to fulfill.
Gandapur previously served as a federal minister during Imran Khan’s premiership. Hailing from Dera Ismail Khan, he was considered very close to the PTI founding chairman. Gandapur defeated JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman twice from his home constituency in Dera Ismail Khan. Maulana Fazlur Rehman has frequently called for his removal as KPK CM.
Junaid Akbar Congratulation:
PTI KPK President Junaid Akbar has congratulated Sohail Afridi on his nomination as Chief Minister by PTI founding chairman Imran Khan. Akbar expressed hope that Afridi would form an honest and effective team, adding that PTI remains the only party that has consistently elevated grassroots workers to level of leadership.
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