PESHAWAR: The political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) took a dramatic turn after Governor Faisal Karim Kundi refused to accept the resignation of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, citing discrepancies in his signatures on the submitted documents.
According to the Governor’s House, two separate resignation letters were received from Gandapur, but the signatures on both were found to be inconsistent. Consequently, the resignation was returned with objections.
Governor Kundi, in a letter, has asked the chief minister to personally visit the Governor House on October 15 at 3:00 pm to verify the authenticity of his resignation.
Meanwhile, the KP Assembly is set to elect a new leader of the house today. Four candidates have submitted and had their nomination papers approved: Sohail Afridi (PTI), Maulana Lutfur Rehman (JUI-F), Sardar Shah Jahan Yousaf (PML-N), and Arbab Zark Khan (PPP). Opposition parties are also holding consultations to field a joint candidate.
The assembly has 145 members — 93 on the government benches and 52 in opposition. A simple majority of 73 votes is required to elect the new chief minister.
Gandapur, a senior PTI figure, had announced his resignation on October 8, shortly after the party nominated Sohail Afridi as his successor. “In compliance with the direction of my leader Imran Khan, I hereby tender my resignation,” he posted on X.
However, PTI’s decision to proceed with the election before formal acceptance of the resignation has raised serious legal questions. Constitutional experts argue that the chief minister’s office becomes vacant only after the governor accepts the resignation and issues a formal notification. Any election held before this could be declared unconstitutional and invalid.
Senior legal experts have warned that bypassing legal procedures could lead to judicial challenges. “Until the resignation is accepted, Gandapur remains the constitutional CM, and the cabinet is intact,” one expert explained.
Within PTI, concerns have emerged that internal manoeuvring might be behind the haste to hold elections, potentially to block Sohail Afridi’s elevation. The party is keen to complete the transition quickly, but analysts fear that the move could push KP into a political and constitutional crisis, delaying or derailing the CM election.
