Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday announced he is stepping down as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on the directions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who conveyed his decision through PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.
Sharing his resignation letter on X, Gandapur said he was acting in “respectful compliance” of Khan’s orders. “When I took over as chief minister, the province was faced with a dual challenge of financial ruin and menace of terrorism,” he wrote, adding that over the past year-and-a-half, his team had steered the province to financial stability and countered the menace of militancy.
“I thank all my cabinet colleagues, members of the Assembly—both from PTI as well as opposition—and all officers of KP bureaucracy who helped me face extraordinary challenges of governance in KP,” he wrote, maintaining he had served with “absolute sincerity” to the people of KP and acted in the best interest of Pakistan.
In his resignation letter to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, the ex-chief minister cited Article 130(8) of the Constitution as justification for his resignation.
Earlier, speaking with media after speaking with Khan during court proceedings, the PTI secretary general confirmed that the former prime minister had directed Gandapur’s removal. “It is correct that Ali Amin Gandapur is being removed from the office of chief minister,” he said, adding PTI MPA Sohail Afridi had been nominated for the new chief minister of KP.
“We expect Sohail Afridi to guide and advise the federal government on these matters,” he said, adding he did not foresee any issues, as the PTI had sufficient numbers in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to elect Afridi. He claimed the party was preparing to announce a “new policy and a fresh beginning.”
Raja said the KP government should distance itself from what he called “the federal government’s flawed policies,” especially those concerning the expulsion of Afghan citizens. “The way Afghan nationals were expelled was unnecessary,” he claimed, echoing Khan’s claims of dialogue being the only solution to terrorism. “The only way to end terrorism is to sit together and negotiate,” he said.
The secretary general also confirmed that Khan had directed his sister Noreen Khan to replace Aleema Khan as his spokesperson.
Separately, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan rubbished claims of any forward bloc in PTI. “It is the captain’s responsibility to decide when and which player to field. All PTI members remain loyal to the PTI founder,” he added.
Why was Gandapur removed
Though Raja cited terrorism as the principle reason for Gandapur’s removal, analysts say it reflects growing internal rifts within the PTI. Just last week, Gandapur and Aleema traded barbs and levelled allegations against each other. In a video statement, Gandapur confirmed he had warned Khan about “vloggers” trying to sow divisions in the party and promoting Aleema Khan as the next chairperson, and even prime minister.
Who is Sohail Afridi
Afridi, currently a provincial minister for higher education, is 35 years old and hails from the Bara tehsil of Khyber district. He studied FC Government High School, Peshawar and earned a B.S. degree in Economics from the University of Peshawar.
His career in politics began in 2015, when he was elected president of the Insaf Students Federation at the Peshawar University campus. Two years later, he was elected the ISF’s Peshawar region president, and subsequently the provincial president of ISF KP. He also headed the Insaf Youth Wing in the province.
He first contested elections in 2024, winning the PK-70 (Khyber-II) against PMLN candidate Bilawal Afridi. He is widely considered an ideological worker of Imran Khan and has repeatedly backed dialogue as a means to solve terrorism.