Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor confirms receipt of CM Gandapur's resignation

Peshawar, Oct 11 (PTI) Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday said the resignation letter of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has been “duly received and acknowledged” by his office.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader on Wednesday announced his resignation from the position of the provincial chief minister. PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja later confirmed that the party founder, Imran Khan, has directed Sohail Afridi to assume the chief minister's role, the Dawn newspaper reported.

However, Governor Kundi had later claimed that he had not received any official resignation letter. The provincial government, however, maintained that the resignation had already been delivered to the Governor's House, leading to a standoff between the two offices.

In a social media post on Saturday, Kundi said, “Today at 2:30 pm, the handwritten resignation advice of the CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was duly received and acknowledged by the Governor's House.” “After thorough scrutiny and legal formalities as per the constitution [and] relevant laws, subject resignation will be processed in due course of time,” he said.

Gandapur has left for Dera Ismail Khan after bidding farewell to his staff at the chief minister’s house.

Earlier in the day, PTI leaders said the party has begun internal deliberations over a possible no-confidence motion against Gandapur as confusion persisted regarding the status of his resignation announced earlier this week.

According to party sources, a meeting of PTI lawmakers and senior officials was underway at the Speaker's House in Peshawar to consider several options, including moving a no-confidence motion if the resignation issue remains unresolved.

Party insiders said the leadership has discussed collecting signatures from provincial legislators on a draft resolution and also revisiting the option of resending the chief minister’s resignation to the Governor.

Meanwhile, senior PTI leaders issued strong warnings against what they described as attempts to install an “illegitimate government” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, provincial president Junaid Akbar, and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said the party would resist any unconstitutional move to change the provincial leadership.

The remarks came after the military's media wing head, in a press conference, said that terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has increased due to the nexus between political and criminal forces in the province. He, however, did not name any political party. PTI has been ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the last 12 years.

Raja said terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cannot be blamed on any single political party or decision, asserting that “if an illegitimate government is formed in KP, it will not be allowed to function.” He accused certain quarters of trying to block a constitutional leadership transition “through unconstitutional means” and said PTI was being subjected to intimidation and pressure.

Raja further said the province had been “bleeding for over a decade”. He urged that all national stakeholders should be consulted in policymaking and recalled that a 2021 National Security Council proposal to pursue dialogue had been rejected.

Former Speaker Asad Qaiser said PTI’s nominee for the chief ministership, Sohail Afridi, was the rightful successor to Gandapur and warned that any attempt to form an “illegitimate government” would be strongly resisted.

Junaid Akbar, PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president, said the party would “fully protect its mandate” in the province and asserted that bringing political change through the assembly is a constitutional right. He alleged that the federal government was trying to obstruct the leadership transition process, but maintained that Sohail Afridi enjoyed the full confidence of the PTI.

PTI has reportedly reached out to other political parties in the province, claiming positive responses so far.

The federal government has rejected the nomination of Afridi, while opposition parties in the province are reportedly planning to field their own candidate for the chief minister's post. PTI AYZ SCY SCY