After much drama over the resignation and election of the provincial chief executive, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed lawmaker Sohail Khan Afridi has finally been sworn in as the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Afridi replaces his party colleague, Ali Amin Gandapur, as the provincial chief executive after the latter was ordered to step down amid reports of worsening law and order and governance issues. Afridi took oath of the office at the KP Governor House.
Governor Kundi, who had earlier rejected Gandapur’s resignation, was directed by the Peshawar High Court to administer the oath to the chief minister-elect at 4pm today. The court ruled that if he failed to do so, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati would perform the duty instead.
On October 13, PTI’s Afridi was elected as the new chief executive of the province despite the opposition’s boycott of the process.
Earlier in the day, the PTI founder directed Afridi to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders in developing an effective and comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism in the province.
“I once again direct the new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to engage with all stakeholders to formulate an effective and comprehensive strategy against terrorism so that lasting and effective peace can be established in the province, and as a result, the economy can be revived,” Imran said in his facilitating message to CM Afridi on X.
The jailed PTI founder said that the people of KP have given his party a mandate, adding that they will never go against the interests of the people of Pakistan and the province.
The former prime minister added that they are answerable to the people of KP, not to someone else.
Calling Afridi his “opening batsman”, the PTI founder directed the CM to “play with confidence”.
“I want to send a special message to Sohail Afridi that he is my opening batsman, and therefore, he should play with confidence.”
He congratulated all members of the KP assembly on the “successful and smooth completion” of the change in the government.