- Gandapur asked to verify resignations at Governor House on Oct 15.
- KP Assembly to elect new leader; four candidates approved.
- Opposition to field joint nominee, says Dr Ibadullah.
PESHAWAR: The resignation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur could not be accepted after Governor Faisal Karim Kundi raised objections over his signature and returned the documents, seeking further clarity.
According to the governor, he received two resignations from Gandapur, but the signatures on both letters were inconsistent.
“After due consideration, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s resignation has been returned with observation,” Kundi posted on X.
In a letter, Kundi asked the chief minister to visit the Governor House on October 15 at 3:00 pm to verify his resignation.
Meanwhile, the KP Assembly is set to elect a new leader of the house today.
Four candidates have had their nomination papers approved, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI’s) Sohail Afridi, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F’s) Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Pakistan Muslime League-Nawaz (PML-N’s) Sardar Shah Jahan Yousaf, and Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Arbab Zark Khan.
Consultations are also underway among opposition parties to field a consensus candidate. Opposition leader Dr Ibadullah said the opposition will present a joint nominee for the election.
The KP Assembly has 145 members, with 93 in the government and 52 in the opposition, while a total of 73 votes is required to elect a new chief minister.
Gandapur, a firebrand PTI leader, stepped down from the post of KP CM on October 8, hours after party leaders announced Afridi’s nomination for the post.
“In respectful compliance with 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.
The PTI is in a rush to elect a new chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without even waiting for the formal acceptance and notification of Gandapur’s resignation.
Analysts fear such a move could trigger a constitutional crisis and block the election itself. PTI’s majority, however, wants the parliamentary party in KP to proceed with the election of Afridi as the new CM following Gandapur’s resignation.
Most leaders appear keen to complete the transition swiftly, but several senior lawyers believe that such haste could backfire legally.
In their view, the office of the chief minister becomes vacant only when the resignation is accepted by the governor. Without such acceptance and in the absence of an official notification, the post cannot legally be declared vacant, and, therefore, the election of a new chief minister would lead to legal battles.
“The cabinet stands dissolved only after the chief minister’s resignation is accepted. Until then, Gandapur remains the constitutional holder of the office,” a senior legal expert said.
It was discussed even within the PTI that in the past, resignations of PTI parliamentarians were not readily accepted — forcing the party to seek judicial intervention. They warned that ignoring codal formalities this time would not only invite legal challenges but might also delay or completely block Afridi’s election as CM.
“It seems someone within the PTI is playing a game to block the election of the new chief minister,” remarked a senior PTI leader, hinting at possible internal manoeuvring.
Party sources confirmed that the PTI intends to hold the election “as soon as possible,” even though the Governor’s House has not yet accepted Gandapur’s resignation.
Legal experts maintain that proceeding without this crucial step would render the entire process legally flawed. “Any election held in such circumstances will be invalid in the eyes of law,” it is even apprehended within the party.
With divisions deepening inside the PTI and the legal ambiguity widening, the hasty move to replace Gandapur risks pushing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into another phase of political and constitutional uncertainty.
