PTI MPA Sohail Afridi on Monday was elected the new chief executive of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during an assembly session marred by the opposition’s walkout and despite prevailing uncertainty regarding the resignation of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who pushed ahead with the election despite the opposition walkout, announced that the three opposition candidates — Maulana Lutfur Rehman of JUI-F, Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf of the PML-N, and Arbab Zarak Khan of the PPP — all received zero votes.

Noting that three members of the assembly were out of the country, he announced that Afridi had won the election after securing 90 votes, prompting chants in favour of the PTI leader to ring out in the assembly hall.

Afridi had needed to secure at least 73 votes in the 145-strong KP Assembly to win the election. Out of a total of 53 opposition members, 51 walked out of the assembly on the call of the opposition leader; the remaining two were not present for the session.

Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah said they did not accept Afridi as the new chief minister.

“The PTI is interpreting the law as per their understanding, we are doing it according to our understanding. There are grey areas and now the court has to decide,” he told Dawn.com, adding that the opposition would knock on the doors of the courts.

He further contended that there were now “two chief ministers” in the province as Gandapur’s resignation had not been accepted.

It should be mentioned that while Gandapur has submitted two separate resignations to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, both have been returned over “disparate signatures”. Kundi has summoned Gandapur on October 15 (Wednesday) to settle the matter.

Speaker sends summary to governor

Separately, Speaker Swati posted on X that he had “formally sent the summary to the KP governor for [the] oath-taking”.

Have no greed for the seat, will vacate it if directed to do so: Afridi

Before announcing the results, KP Assembly Speaker Swati, in a message to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said that “KP still holds the forces dear because soldiers are out there defending the province and continue to make sacrifices”.

Despite that, institutions can not be allowed to run parliament, he said. “The parliament is the representative jirga of the province’s people,” he added.

Afridi then proceeded to deliver an emphatic speech in which he expressed his admiration of and loyalty to party founder Imran Khan.

Speaking in the assembly, Afridi said that he was grateful to Imran for choosing someone who was a mere worker, belonged to a middle-class family and did not have familial links to politics.

“And neither Bhutto, Zardari nor Sharif are attached to my name,” he thundered. He further said that he belonged to the tribal districts and was proud of his background.

He said that a particular mindset had prevailed about tribal districts and its people over the past 78 years. “This mindset dictates that the people of tribal areas are only there to die, that tribal areas should always be far behind.”

He further said that Imran was aware of the deprivation faced by the tribal districts.

“However many times I thank [Imran], it is not enough,” he said. He further said that the tribal districts were ecstatic over the decision to field him as the new chief minister, and were thanking Imran and the party.

“As is the vision of my leader Imran, one does not become a leader by writing Sharif or Bhutto or Zardari with their name,” he said.

Afridi also extended his gratitude to Gandapur, saying that no one in the party had ever hesitated when it came to making sacrifices. “Ali bhai, the grace with which you tendered your resignation … I laud you for that.”

Calling himself a “champion of politics of protest”, he said that he had nothing to lose. “No cars, no bungalows, no riches and no greed for the seat. The day my leader tells me to vacate the seat, I will kick it to the side.”

He also said that there were reports that Imran, who is currently incarcerated, was being shifted without consultation with his family and the party. “I make this announcement, that if he is shifted without consultation, we will jam the whole country.”

During his speech, Afridi also stated that military operations were not the “solution to terrorism” and called on the federal government to engage in dialogue, and involve the people of the province and the government in devising a solution.

He recalled that he and his fellow party members had been raising alarm over terrorism for a long time, but “no one paid us any attention”.

“In fact, we were accused of lying,” he added. “And today, they are conducting operations,” he said.

Questioning the efficacy of military operations, Afridi asked, “Despite 14,000 intelligence-based operations, why has there been no decrease in terrorism?

“My people are still internally-displaced persons (IDPs), their homes have been uprooted and they are dying,” he said, noting that “it is clear that military operations are not the solution”.

He stressed that any policy concerning counter terror measures and Afghanistan had to take the people of the province into account.

“They are kicking out our Afghan brothers and sisters — people who have been here for 40-50 years,” he said while referring to the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

He also vowed to speak to the Centre about the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), stating, “I will ask why people who are merely asking for their rights have been treated in such a way.”

PTI congratulates Afridi

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan congratulated Afridi on winning the election.

“I hope the next step of taking oath takes place and the transition is completed smoothly. I pay strong tribute to the outgoing CM Ali Amin Gandapur. And I congratulate Afridi for his election,” he said.

PTI leader Omar Ayub also congratulated Afridi, saying: “Our struggle for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ shall continue as per the vision and instructions of PM Imran Khan. Gratitude to former CM Ali Amin Khan Gandapur sahib for his unflinching support and efforts to make the transfer of power smooth,” he said.

PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser also extended his “heartfelt congratulations” to Afridi.

“Today marks an important milestone in the political history of Pakistan. It is a testament to the fact that Imran Khan has provided an opportunity for hardworking, talented and ideological workers from the youth and middle class to reach positions of leadership,” Qaiser said.

“Afridi started his political struggle with student politics and with continuous hard work, perseverance and the spirit of serving the people … His election undoubtedly reflects the vision of Imran Khan, who is keen to bring forward a new, courageous and people-oriented leadership,” he said, adding that he was confident new avenues of progress, prosperity and transparent governance would open under the leadership of Afridi.

PTI MNA Junaid Akbar expressed gratitude that all members of the provincial assembly were “standing with Imran Khan” and were united.

“Only one member is outside the country,” Akbar said. “I pay tribute to all the members of the provincial assembly who have kept Imran Khan, the workers and themselves in their hearts and have not succumbed to any pressure or greed,” he said.

Opposition decries ‘unconstitutional procedure’; speaker pushes ahead

Prior to the election, Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah had spoken in the assembly and termed the election as “unconstitutional”.

During his speech, he held up a copy of the Constitution and said: “According to this Constitution, the procedure is that first your resignation is accepted. Then the administration denotifies the cabinet.”

He said the cabinet had not been denotified and Gandapur’s resignation had not been accepted by the governor.

“In the presence of an existing chief minister, the election of a new chief minister is unconstitutional. So we will not become a part of this unconstitutional procedure,“ he asserted.

He also questioned the need for making the issue controversial. “If you already have the numbers, then why not wait a few days and have it be done constitutionally?”

He reiterated that the process was “unconstitutional” and said that the opposition was staging a walkout as “it did not want to be a part of this”.

Following the walkout, KP Assembly Speaker Swati said that Gandapur had sent his resignation to the governor twice and also announced the same in his speech in the assembly.

Swati said that while some people wished for Afridi to not become the new chief minister, the Constitution did not function according to people’s wishes.

“The chief minister of a province is a constitutional office holder in terms of Article 130. Clause eight of this article provides for tendering of a resignation by the chief minister under his hand … I rule that an election for the post of chief minister of KP is being lawfully conducted in accordance with the Constitution and the rules of the assembly,” he said.

Speaking in an interview on Geo News show ‘Capital Talk’, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah addressed the controversy and said: “Our stance is, and we think it to be absolutely correct, that the speaker should not have called the provincial assembly session until the resignation was accepted.”

He also criticised Afridi for his speech, saying it did not befit a chief minister or a provincial assembly.

Criticising Afridi’s view on military operations, he said the PTI should act as a political party if it wanted the state and institutions to engage with it democratically and politically.

Sanaullah questioned how could a provincial government function if it did not cooperate or work together with the federal government, saying Afridi’s speech was akin to “mutiny”. He added that the Centre would try to prevent the situation from deteriorating but if Afridi’s conduct “remains as per his speech, then I don’t think he can conduct himself as the head of a provincial government in accordance with the Constitution and law”.

Gandapur gives ‘advance congratulations’ to Afridi

At the outset of the session, Gandapur gave his “advance congratulations” to Afridi as the treasury benches thumped their desks.

He assured them that the PTI’s fight for justice would continue under the leadership of party founder Imran Khan. He expressed pride at the fact that he had submitted his resignation on October 8 on the directives of Imran.

He also called for allowing the democratic process to continue and to refrain from putting any obstacles in this regard. He further said that everything he had done as the provincial chief executive was a part of record and could be examined.

“A government can only succeed, a province can only succeed if it is self sustainable. Unfortunately, when our government came into power, we only had enough money for salaries for 18 months. But I am proudly saying right now that we have Rs280 million in the treasury,” he said.

He further said that his government provided more than what it allocated under the Annual Development Programme. He stated that under Imran’s vision, he had provided funds to all constituencies.

“In the end, I would like to say that we have a movement, a struggle and that struggle is not limited to Imran Khan. The sacrifice that he is making right now, he is doing it for the good of the nation. We stand with him and will continue to do so,” he said.

He also called for addressing the challenges the province was facing, saying that the law and order situation was more important than engaging in a war of words.

“We have to move forward and focus on these challenges,” he said.

KP governor returns Gandapur’s resignation over ‘disparate’ signature

Separately, the controversy around Gandapur’s resignation took another turn on Sunday night after Governor Kundi returned two separate letters submitted by the former over “disparate signatures” and summoned him on October 15 (Wednesday) to settle the matter.

In a post on social media platform X, Kundi said that the chief minister’s resignation had been “returned with observation”.

He also shared a letter addressed to Gandapur, wherein he stated that two resignation letters had been received by the Governor House on October 8 and October 11, both of which had “disparate and unalike signatures”.

“Since I am out of city, and intend to return to Peshawar on the ever of October 15, therefore, you are advised to visit Governor House on October 15 at 3pm so that the authenticity of the alleged resignations could be verified and the matter is settled as per the mandate of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gandapur responded to Kundi’s post on X and said: “Finally, the resignation submitted on October 8, previously denied by the Governor Office, also acknowledged.”

He further stated that both resignations submitted by him bore his “authentic signatures”.

On October 8, Gandapur said he had resigned from his role as the provincial chief executive, while the party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, confirmed that party founder Imran Khan directed Sohail Afridi to assume the CM’s role.

The letter, shared by Gandapur on X, was typed on his official letterhead and signed at the bottom. However, this initial resignation letter had apparently gotten lost in red tape, with the Governor’s House denying having ever received it.

On October 11, Kundi had stated that the Governor House had received a handwritten resignation letter from Gandapur. “After thorough scrutiny and legal formalities as per the constitution [and] relevant laws, subject resignation will be processed in due course of time,” he had added.

A day earlier, a parliamentary delegation of PTI had met Kundi at his residence in Islamabad. The delegation included Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, Junaid Akbar and others.

PTI representatives had sought support from the PPP to ensure democratic values during the election for the chief minister. They said the PPP had always claimed that it gave value to the democratic norms.

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