A “perfect storm” destroys Gandapur
As the jailed founder of the embattled ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided on Wednesday to replace Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur with a young tribal lawmaker, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s political, administrative, and security crises have finally cost him his job.
Given that Gandapur has been at the center of a political tempest sparked by accusations of abandoning the party, causing fractures within its members, and even disobeying Imran Khan’s orders, political analysts think his removal was long overdue.
Salman Akram Raja, the party’s national secretary, revealed that party founder Imran Khan instructed Sohail Afridi to take over as province chief executive after Gandapur earlier announced that he had resigned from his position as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister.
“In respectful compliance of the orders of my leader… Imran Khan, it is my honor to tender my resignation,” Gandapur wrote in a post on X.
A copy of his resignation letter to K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi is also included.
“The province faced both the threat of terrorism and financial collapse when I assumed the position of chief minister. With the help of my cabinet, our party members and workers, my bureaucratic team, and most importantly, Imran Khan, we have guided the province to financial stability over the past 1.5 years and have faced the threat of militancy head-on with steadfast decision-making and decisive courage. In a province that was classified as a combat zone by the military, we started massive nation-building programs,” the letter stated.
Gandapur expressed gratitude to his cabinet colleagues, opposition and PTI assembly members, and other KP bureaucracy personnel for their assistance in overcoming the “extraordinary challenges of governance” in the province.
“I may not be able to claim with certainty that I did well on all those challenges but one thing that I can say with utmost certainty is that I served with absolute sincerity to the people of KP and always acted in the best interest of Pakistan.”
After a flurry of denials and rumors, the news was made. Social media had started to spread rumors that Gandapur had been asked to step down, but his spokesperson first denied them as untrue.
Hours later, though, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja verified what many had already started to assume after meeting with the party founder at Adiala Jail.
“It is correct that Ali Amin Gandapur is being removed from the post of chief minister,” Raja stated to reporters. “Sohail Afridi has been proposed to be Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s next chief minister. The founder made this choice, and he has provided context for it.
Raja claimed that the “alarming security situation” in the province was the reason behind Imran’s action.
“Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is experiencing a serious surge in terrorism. “Our officers and soldiers were martyred in Orakzai just today,” he said. “The founder was deeply grieved over the incident and felt there was no option left but to bring change.”
The K-P government, in the opinion of Raja, the founding chairman of the PTI, has failed to distance itself from the “flawed policy of conflict” of the federal government.
“This policy of conflict and war, in the founder’s opinion, is incorrect. As we have stated time and time again, there are three parties involved in this conflict: the Afghan government, the Afghan people, and the FATA members. Peace cannot be attained if they are not taken seriously.
He claimed that the recent mass deportation of Afghan migrants particularly troubled Imran.
“The way Afghans were driven out of Pakistan after forty years of hospitality has sown seeds of hatred it is an unforgivable act,” Raja reported him as stating.
He added that the PTI founder believed his “vision for the province” had not been realized.
“The K-P government was unable to disassociate itself from the policies of the federal government and its agencies. Since our people are being martyred, our forces will undoubtedly respond.
“A fresh start”
Raja further characterized the founder’s choice to substitute Sohail Afridi for Gandapur as “well thought out” and a “new beginning.”
“He thinks that better policies can be adopted at the federal and provincial levels under Afridi’s direction. According to him, Sohail Afridi will advise the federal government on how to maintain peace while honoring Pakhtun customs.
Raja also brushed aside rumors that Afridi had Taliban sympathies. “This assertion is unfounded. Afghanistan is our neighbor and cannot be wished away; dialogue is the best way to combat terrorism.
There will not be a vote of no-confidence in K-P, he continued, because the PTI still had a “clear majority.”
“Gandapur has been told to step down by the founder. He thinks that Gandapur should now concentrate on public politics.
“Terrorists, not Afghans residing in Pakistan, are the ones who are traveling 2,500 kilometers. Kabul needs to speak with the federal government. Terrorism won’t end unless the Afghan government is involved.
According to him, the party head who is currently detained “feels proud of the sacrifices of our brave soldiers and citizens” and promised a seamless handover.
“We are beginning a new chapter in KP, free of ambiguity,” Raja stated. “The founder always says the choice of player depends on the situation, and he has made his decision accordingly.”
Raja, however, denied rumors that the decision was influenced by the recent argument between Gandapur and Aleema Khan, the sister of Imran Khan.
Additionally, Imran Khan said he had good intentions for Ali Amin. He believes that Ali Amin’s departure from office and entry into politics—that is, the politics of the K-P people—will also be beneficial, he stated.
“Restoring trust”
Ali Amin Gandapur announced his resignation later that night, stating, “Imran Khan trusted me with the chief ministership. I’m quitting from my position in order to repay that trust, per his instructions.”
He promised to “support and cooperate fully with the new chief minister” and to fully assist his successor.
Police security was promptly set up outside Sohail Afridi’s Hayatabad home as soon as word of his nomination spread, and extra staff were sent there as a precaution.
While PTI leaders celebrated his appointment as the start of a “new chapter” for the province, family members, friends, and party supporters poured into his residence to give congratulations.
It is important to remember that the most recent incident comes a week after Aleema Khan and Gandapur exchanged grave accusations, with the latter accusing Imran’s sister of causing strife inside the party, which engulfed the PTI in scandal.
The argument started when Aleema said that Gandapur had informed her brother, who was incarcerated, that she was trying to take over the PTI with the assistance of the “establishment” and Military Intelligence (MI).
Her comments were made the day after Gandapur met with the former premier in jail for two hours and then departed without addressing the media.
In response to Aleema’s charges, Gandapur later released a video statement in which she claimed that campaigns were on to designate her as the PTI chairwoman. He acknowledged that he had told Imran that the party was suffering as a result of these campaigns and objectives.
Deep rifts between the PTI leadership and Imran Khan’s family members were further stoked by the accusations made by Aleema, who gained notoriety following her brother’s incarceration in August 2023 and frequently pays him a visit at Adiala Jail.
Similar rifts were revealed earlier in June when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fiscal budget was approved, revealing deepening internal PTI splits.