Following the resignation of former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly chose Sohail Afridi, the PTI’s nominee, as its new leader on Monday. The opposition parties abstained from the poll, and PTI candidate Afridi received 90 votes. Consequently, the JUI-F’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman, the PML-N’s Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf, and the PPP’s Arbab Zarak Khan all won zero votes. When KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi objected to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation, the opposition parties made the decision to abstain from the election.
Maulana Lutfur Rehman, the JUI-F candidate, petitioned the Peshawar High Court (PHC), claiming that Sohail Afridi’s election as KP Chief Minister was unlawful and unconstitutional because Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation had not yet been properly recognized. Maulana Lutfur Rehman told the media that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation had not yet been accepted. Thus, it is unlawful and unconstitutional for Sohail Afridi to have been elected Chief Minister. “We insist that a new election be held only after the Gandapur’s resignation has been formally accepted,” he said. Reports state that Gandapur has gotten a letter from the governor.
Two alleged letters of resignation from the Chief Minister were delivered to the Governor’s House, “with signatures on both documents found to be different and inconsistent.” The chief minister has been called by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to confirm the legitimacy of the resignations. On October 15 at 3 p.m., Ali Amin Gandapur was summoned to the Governor’s House. According to the governor of KP, the issue would be settled in line with the Pakistani Constitution.
