PTI sticks with Afridi as KP chief minister
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday reaffirmed that Sohail Afridi remains the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ruling out any move inside the party to consider someone else for the post. Afridi was left non-functional after the federal government imposed governor’s rule in the province.
In a notification from the party’s central secretariat, issued for what it called clarity and emphasis, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said Afridi “remains and shall continue” as KP chief minister with the “confidence and support” of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
What the party order tells members
The notice directed all PTI members, office-bearers, parliamentarians and functionaries not to call or join any meeting, raise any agenda, start or entertain any proposal, or encourage discussion about nominating, replacing or considering another person for the chief minister’s office.
It added that no one other than the founding chairman has authority to name an alternative candidate or change that decision, and that his choices are final and binding on the party.
On X, Barrister Gohar said KP Assembly members of the party were a “source of pride,” had stayed loyal to Imran Khan, followed every decision and held firm. He said the notification was meant to answer “unnecessary speculation and discussions” on social media and some television channels, and to reassure workers that party decisions follow Imran Khan’s directives alone.
Internal strain after governor’s rule
Afridi has not been seen in public since the Centre imposed governor’s rule and an emergency in KP on 11 October. The following day, a federal minister confirmed that Afridi and some of his cabinet members were in preventive custody.
The reaffirmation comes after several PTI members voiced unhappiness with how the leadership was handling the crisis and with what they saw as heavy reliance on Afridi. At a joint parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday that ran for more than seven hours, arguments grew heated. Some asked why the top leadership had given so much authority to Afridi, saying he held no post in the party hierarchy.
Critics also questioned Chairman Barrister Gohar and Secretary General Salman Akram Raja over the impression that the leadership was operating under Afridi. They alleged that the leadership had left transfers, postings and financial matters in the province to him even after he became non-functional under governor’s rule.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 11 October: The Centre imposes governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Afridi is rendered non-functional as chief minister.
- 12 October: A federal minister confirms that Afridi and some cabinet members are in preventive custody.
- Tuesday: A joint PTI parliamentary party meeting lasting over seven hours sees heated debate over Afridi’s authority and the roles of Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja.
- Thursday: PTI’s central secretariat issues a notification stating Afridi remains KP chief minister and barring discussion of any replacement except by Imran Khan’s authority.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PTI ne saaf keh diya hai ke Sohail Afridi hi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ke chief minister hain aur party un ke peeche khari hai. Governor rule ke baad woh kaam nahi kar rahe, aur pehle unhen preventive custody mein bataya gaya tha. Ab party ne members ko mana kiya hai ke koi doosra CM ka naam na le. Aam logon ke liye yeh is baat ka signal hai ke PTI abhi bhi Afridi ko apna provincial leader maanti hai, jab ke province ab governor ke neeche chal raha hai.
