PTI’s Afridi elected KP CM amid opposition’s walkout

Peshawar High Court delays decision on CM’s oath

PESHAWAR:  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.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday declined to grant immediate relief to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding the oath-taking of newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Khan Afridi, adjourning the hearing until Tuesday.

During the proceedings, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja and the Additional Attorney-General appeared before the court, requesting that the new chief minister be administered the oath the same day.

They argued that the province had been without a functioning government since the resignation of former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, which automatically dissolved the cabinet.

Raja urged the court to either nominate an official to administer the oath or direct the relevant authority to do so.

However, Chief Justice S.M. Atiq Shah asked the Additional Attorney-General to confirm from the Governor’s Secretariat whether Gandapur’s resignation had been officially received and if the summary for Afridi’s oath, sent by the provincial assembly speaker, had reached the governor’s office.

The Additional Attorney-General stated that the constitution was clear — if the governor refuses to administer the oath, Article 255 would apply — though he noted it was uncertain whether the summary had reached the governor.

Chief Justice Atiq observed that the governor’s stance was crucial, remarking, “Once the governor’s view is received, the court can take further action.” The hearing was then adjourned until Tuesday with directions to clarify the governor’s position. Staff Report