JUI challenges Sohail Afridi's election as KP chief minister

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has challenged Sohail Afridi’s election as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly elected PTI’s nominee, Sohail Afridi, as the new leader of the house following the resignation of former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Afridi, the PTI candidate, secured 90 votes, while the opposition parties boycotted the vote. As a result, three opposition candidates — Maulana Lutfur Rehman of JUI-F, Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf of the PML-N, and Arbab Zarak Khan of the PPP — each received zero votes.

The opposition parties decided to boycott the election after KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi raised objections to the resignation of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

JUI-F’s candidate, Maulana Lutfur Rehman, filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), arguing that the resignation of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had not yet been formally accepted, making Sohail Afridi’s election as KP Chief Minister illegal and unconstitutional.

Speaking to the media, Maulana Lutfur Rehman said that the resignation of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has not been accepted yet. Therefore, Sohail Afridi’s election as Chief Minister is illegal and unconstitutional.

“We demand that the Gandapur’s resignation be officially accepted first, and only then should a new election take place,” he stated.

According to reports, a letter from the Governor has been received by Gandapur.

The Governor’s House received two purported resignation letters from the Chief Minister, “with signatures on both documents found to be different and inconsistent”.

Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has summoned the chief minister to verify the authenticity of the resignations. Ali Amin Gandapur has been called to the Governor’s House on October 15 at 3 p.m.

The KP governor stated that the matter will be resolved in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan.