By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said on Wednesday he would resign from his post on the orders of Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who has tapped provincial assembly member Sohail Afridi as his successor.
The move comes amid escalating reports of a bitter internal feud between Gandapur and Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, which many observers say contributed to his ouster, even as party leaders insist the decision stems solely from security failures in the restive region.
Gandapur’s exit highlights the persistent influence Khan wields over PTI from Adiala jail, where he has been detained since August 2023 on charges he claims are politically motivated. It also exposes deepening fractures within the party, with the public spat between Gandapur and Aleema Khan — who has emerged as a key intermediary for her brother — fueling speculation that personal and factional rivalries played a central role in the leadership shake-up.
Gandapur, in a statement posted on his official Facebook account and later deleted, described the chief minister position as an “amaanat” — or entrustment — from Khan. “The role of the chief minister was Imran Khan sahib’s amaanat (entrustment) and as per his order, I am returning his amaanat and submitting my resignation,” the post quoted him as saying.
The party’s official X account also confirmed the development. “Ali Amin Gandapur has resigned as per Imran Khan’s directive.”
The announcement followed shortly after PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja told reporters in Rawalpindi that Khan had selected Afridi as the next chief minister. “This is correct,” Raja said when asked directly about the decision.
In a subsequent media briefing, Raja elaborated that Khan had personally conveyed the directive to him, explaining the “background of this in detail and also ordered me to put this before you.” He emphasised that there would be no vote of no-confidence against Gandapur, as Khan had instructed a straightforward resignation. Raja noted that the PTI holds a “clear majority” in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, paving the way for Afridi’s election.
Raja quoted Khan extensively on the security crisis driving the change, pointing to a spike in terrorism in the province. “There is the worst terrorism situation in KP. There have been record incidents this year […] the lives lost and martyrdoms so far, there is no example found of this,” Raja relayed from Khan. Khan was described as “very sad” about a recent incident in Orakzai, with Raja quoting him as saying “there is no choice for him now, but to make the change [in KP CM].”F
or more than two years, Khan has maintained that the federal government’s policies were “very wrong” and that the provincial government “should disassociate itself from it,” according to Raja. He stressed Khan’s view that peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan requires involving three key stakeholders: the residents of tribal areas, the Afghan government and the Afghan people.
Raja criticised the federal government’s treatment of Afghan refugees. “The way we humiliated Afghan refugees and cast them out from Pakistan, we have sown such a hate of which there was no need, after hosting them for 40 years, […] and is unforgivable in the eyes of Imran Khan.”
He added that the federal government had failed to “maintain contact” with the Afghan interim setup, exacerbating the issues. Khan was portrayed as “sad and angry” that his vision had not been implemented, with the provincial government unable to “distance itself from the policies of the federal government and agencies the way it was necessary.”
Raja condemned the ongoing cycle of military action and reprisals, arguing that the only path to ending terrorism is to “sit and look at the issue in its wider context.”
Looking ahead, Raja said Khan expects the new administration under Afridi to mark “a new beginning and there will be wise talk of mutual understanding.” This would involve consulting jirgas and tribes to address the province’s challenges. “Khan has affirmed the intent of adopting better policies from now on at federal government level and the provincial government can provide guidance on this matter,” Raja said. “It is expectation of Imran Khan that Sohail Afridi will guide and advise the federal government and make it understand how to establish peace in the region and act on Imran Khan’s vision.”
He said there was “a perception created that our provincial government was a helper of the federal government’s wrong policies so expectation from Sohail Afridi is he will keep himself far and clearly say we don’t support federal government’s policies.”
Raja explicitly denied that the decision stemmed from a recent public spat between Gandapur and Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan. “Imran Khan sahib also expressed good intentions for Ali Amin sahib. He thinks it will also be good for Ali Amin sahib to leave the office and become part of politics that is politics of people of KP.”
The denial comes amid lingering tensions within the PTI. Just a week earlier, Aleema Khan and Gandapur traded serious accusations, with Gandapur alleging that she was provoking rifts in the party. The dispute began when Aleema claimed Gandapur had told her brother that she was attempting to hijack the PTI with assistance from Military Intelligence (MI) and the “establishment.”
Her comments followed a more than two-hour meeting between Gandapur and Khan in jail, after which Gandapur departed without addressing the media. In a video response, Gandapur said campaigns were underway to install Aleema as PTI chairperson. He admitted informing Khan that such efforts were damaging the party. The exchange fueled speculation of a deep divide between the PTI leadership and Khan’s family, who gained prominence after his imprisonment in August 2023.
Aleema Khan has regularly visited him at Adiala jail. Internal fissures were also evident in June, when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly passed the provincial budget at midnight, bypassing initial plans to consult Khan. Gandapur had pledged to follow Khan’s directives and seek his approval, but the budget was approved on June 24 without that meeting, prompting surprise from PTI figures like Raja and former finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, who suggested it could have been delayed until June 27. Gandapur defended the move, warning that any postponement might lead to governor’s rule in the province.
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, speaking to reporters in Islamabad, affirmed that Khan’s orders are binding. “Khan’s instructions will be acted on,” Gohar said. “Ali Amin Gandapur will depart for Peshawar in half an hour and send his resignation via summary to the governor tomorrow. Everyone will support the PTI government that will be formed as per Khan’s instructions.”
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