• Election today amid uncertainty over Gandapur’s resignation; Speaker Swati okays all papers after scrutiny
• PTI backs Afridi as JUI-F’s Lutfur Rehman, PPP’s Arbab Zarak, PML-N’s Shah Jehan also in field
• PTI delegation meets Kundi

PESHAWAR: Amid controversy over the legal status of the outgoing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation, four candidates on Sunday filed their nomination papers with the speaker of the provincial assembly for the election of the new chief minister scheduled for Monday (today).

A day earlier, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati had convened the assembly session to elect a new leader of the house.

Those who submitted nomination papers included PTI’s chief minister-designate Sohail Afridi, while Maulana Lutfur Rehman of JUI-F, Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf of PML-N, and Arbab Zarak Khan of PPP represented the opposition parties in the KP Assembly.

The speaker approved all the nomination papers after scrutiny.

After filing his nomination papers, PTI’s nominee Sohail Afridi told reporters that democracy should prevail and that the Cons­titution provided a clear and smooth process for the election of the leader of the house. “No one should interfere in the process of electing the new chief minister,” he said.

Speaking to reporters at the assembly premises, Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah expressed astonishment over the situation, saying, “How can there be two chief ministers in Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa? The resignation tendered by the incumbent chief minister has not yet been approved by the governor, while PTI is proceeding to elect another chief minister.”

He added that a strange situation had emerged as the incumbent chief minister had not officially left office, the provincial cabinet was still intact, and yet an election was being held for another chief minister. “We are dealing with politically inexperienced people,” Dr Ibadullah remarked.

JUI-F parliamentary leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman said that PTI was holding the election for the leader of the house in haste.

“The governor can still return the resignation since it has not been approved yet,” he said, adding that he might be the joint candidate of the opposition alliance. He maintained that the governor was the constitutional head of the province and that PTI should have waited for formal approval of the resignation before proceeding. “It is inappropriate to hold an election for chief minister while the incumbent is still in office,” he said.

When asked whether the opposition intended to challenge today’s election in court, he said that anyone could approach the court to contest any unconstitutional act.

It is worth mentioning that leaders of the opposition parties were scheduled to meet Sunday night to deliberate on fielding a joint candidate for the chief minister’s slot. Sources said that the opposition was likely to agree on Maulana Lutfur Rehman as their consensus candidate.

Efforts for consensus

PTI KP Deputy Secretary Information Ikram Khatana told Dawn that a delegation of the party leaders, led by its provincial president MNA Junaid Akbar Khan, visited the residences of JUI-F, ANP and PML-N leaders to seek their support for electing Sohail Afridi unopposed.

“The PTI also urged opposition leaders not to support any unconstitutional or illegal moves by invisible forces seeking to create hurdles in the election of the chief minister,” he said. According to Mr Khatana, the ANP leadership assured PTI that it would not be part of any horse-trading or monetary influence in the election, while the PML-N and JUI-F leaders said they would convey PTI’s message to their central leadership.

Meanwhile, a consultative meeting was held in the chamber of KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati regarding the election of the leader of the house. The meeting was attended by Dr Ibadullah, PTI Akbar Khan, and chief minister-designate Sohail Afridi.

The participants discussed the election process and preparations for the assembly session in detail.

On the occasion, the speaker expressed hope that the election process for the new chief minister would be conducted transparently and in accordance with constitutional requirements.

PTI leaders meet governor

Meanwhile, a parliamentary delegation of PTI on Sunday met KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi at his residence in Islamabad.

The delegation included Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, Junaid Akbar and others.

PTI representatives sought support from the PPP to ensure democratic values during elections for the slot of CM. They said the PPP had always claimed that it gave value to the democratic norms.

Mr Kundi claimed Gandapur’s resignation would be accepted as per constitutional requirements. He stressed the need for joint efforts to ensure peace and the public services in the province.

Ikram Junaidi in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2025