ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur formally submitted his resignation to the province’s governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, late Wednesday night, citing the orders from party founder Imran Khan.
Gandapur stated the chief minister’s position was a trust placed in him by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since August 2023.
“In respectful compliance with the orders of my leader, and Founding Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, it is my honour to tender my resignation from the Office of the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in pursuance of Article 130 sub-clause (8) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the letter written to the governor stated.
Earlier today, Gandapur stepped down as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister, hours after PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed Sohail Afridi as the new nominee for the post.
In a post on X, Gandapur said he was returning the trust in accordance with the instructions of the party founder.
The resignation submitted to the governor added, “When I took over as Chief Minister, the province was faced with a dual challenge of financial ruin and menace of terrorism.”
“Over the last one and a half years, with the support of my Cabinet, our party members and workers, my team of bureaucracy, and above all, the guidance of Imran Khan, we steered the province to financial stability and countered the menace of militancy with resolute courage and unwavering decision-making. We initiated mega projects of nation-building in a province that was militarily categorised as a warzone,” it stated.
In his letter, the firebrand PTI leader expressed gratitude to his cabinet colleagues, members of the Assembly from PTI as well as opposition, and all officers of the KP bureaucracy.
“I may not be able to claim with certainty that I did well on all these 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,” he wrote.
