PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly elected new Chief Minister Sohail Afridi despite the opposition uproar and walkout from the assembly on Monday.
A total of 90 MPAs voted in support of Sohail Afridi amid strong opposition and reservations from the opposition MPAs. Opposition Leader Dr Ibadullah said that this move of PTI is unconstitutional and they would move the Peshawar High Court against this unconstitutional step of PTI. He said that how two Chief Ministers can run the affairs of the province, if one Chief Minister already retains the designation of the Chief Minister.
Addressing his inaugural speech, Sohail Afridi said that first he is Pakistani and then he is a Pakhtun. He did not become Chief Minister with a piece of paper but was elected with the votes of the public. He said that tribal people are very happy with this choice of Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He said that peace and development of tribal areas would be his top priority.
Meanwhile, Outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also addressed the floor and said that his top priority is the supremacy of the constitution and law in the country. He said that we want the supremacy of the constitution and law in the country. The current stance and struggle will continue until success. Expressing his determination, he said that we will win this war. During the previous government, he resigned on the same day as per the directives of Imran Khan.
The Chief Minister said that he resigned on the same day at the orders of Imran Khan. Democracy is being mocked; at least he should not use delaying tactics in this process. Our party is our will, our leader, and his decision. Referring to the financial performance during his Chief Ministership, Ali Amin Gandapur said that when I became the Chief Minister, the treasury was empty, but now there are 280 billion rupees in the treasury.
All the decisions taken as Chief Minister are on record. Ali Amin Gandapur further said that his struggle is for Imran Khan because he is fighting the war of this nation; now it is time for everyone to focus on the country’s problems. Imran Khan has repeatedly said that for Pakistan, he is above his own caste.
Who is the new Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi?
Afridi was born in 1989 in the Bara Tehsil in the Khyber District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He completed his early education and matriculation from the Muslim Public School in Peshawar. He also studied at the FC Government High School in Peshawar and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Peshawar. Afridi was active in student politics for the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) during his student years, where he advocated for education reforms.
Political career
He contested the 2024 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa election as a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate from PK-70 Khyber-II. He secured 31,649 votes while the runner-up was Bilawal Afridi of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), who secured 7,401 votes. Following his victory, he was appointed as Special Assistant for Communication and Works (C&W) for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Gandapur administration. After a reshuffle, he was promoted to Minister for Higher Education.
After Ali Amin Gandapur resigned as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Imran Khan’s orders, Salman Akram Raja confirmed that Afridi has been named as the next chief minister of the province by Imran Khan.
