Peshawar, OCT 11: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is set to elect the new Leader of the House on October 13 (Monday), as KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has confirmed receiving Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation.
The secretary of the KP Assembly issued the schedule for the chief minister’s election on Saturday.
Babar Saleem Swati, the speaker of KP Assembly, shared the schedule via a post on X, announcing that the election for the new CM will take place at 10am on Monday, October 13.
“Nomination papers for the chief minister election can be submitted before 3pm on Sunday, October 12,” the schedule notification read.
According to the schedule, the KP Assembly speaker will scrutinise the nomination papers on the same day.
The process of electing a new chief minister will commence at 10am on Monday, with successful candidate to be announced later the same day.
The election schedule comes hours after the KP governor confirmed to have received the resignation of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
Kundi — in a post on X — said that his office received Gandapur’s handwritten resignation, dated October 11, at 2:30pm.
“After thorough scrutiny and legal formalities as per the Constitution [and] relevant laws, subject resignation will be processed in due course of time,” Kundi added.
Gandapur — a firebrand Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader — stepped down from the post of KP CM on October 8, hours after party leaders announced Sohail Afridi’s nomination for the post.
“In respectful compliance of the orders of my leader, and founding PTI chairman, Imran Khan, it is my honour to tender my resignation from the Office of the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he wrote in a post on X at the time.
Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Musaddiq Abbasi, special assistant to the chief minister on anti-corruption, delivered Gandapur’s resignation to the Governor House.
Governor Kundi had previously said that Gandapur’s resignation could be returned if any constitutional or legal ambiguity is found in it.
Speaking on Geo News’ morning programme “Geo Pakistan” on October 9, Kundi said he would review the resignation once he receives it, to determine the reasons behind Gandapur’s decision.
“If there is any legal or constitutional ambiguity, the resignation can be returned,” he added.
However, KP Law Minister Aftab Alam said that the chief minister of a province can resign any time in line with the Article 130 of the Constitution.
“The chief minister has tendered his resignation, and it is sufficient under the law,” he said, while speaking to Geo News.
He was of the view that the KP governor’s response to the Gandapur’s resignation was a mere formality, saying that he has directed KP Assembly speaker to proceed with the process of electing a new chief minister.
“We will wait a few hours or a day for the governor to accept the resignation. If it is not accepted, we will proceed with the KP Assembly session,” Alam added.
‘KP Assembly session scheduled for Monday’
Addressing the media in Peshawar earlier today, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated that Gandapur had submitted his resignation, adding that the KP governor’s approval was not necessary.
“The governor has confirmed receiving the resignation. The chief minister is not a subordinate of the governor who would require his approval,” he said.
Raja said the KP Assembly will meet on Monday, October 13, to elect Sohail Afridi as Leader of the House.
He added: “This province [KP] will move forward with renewed energy. Sohail Afridi will become the first chief minister from the tribal areas.”
The PTI leader termed the change in the leadership a democratic and parliamentary process, saying that any party can opt to make changes in its government.
Afridi’s provincial cabinet will include new faces, he said, adding that KP would develop under the leadership of the young politician.
