ISLAMABAD: Ali Amin Gandapur announced on Wednesday that he has resigned as Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“The position of Chief Minister was a trust given to me by [former prime minister] Imran Khan, and in accordance with his instructions, I am returning that trust to him and submitting my resignation,” Gandapur said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja confirmed the resignation, adding that Suhail Afridi has been nominated as his replacement. Afridi, a PTI lawmaker from the Khyber district bordering Afghanistan, is considered part of the party’s younger leadership.
Gandapur, a prominent PTI leader and former federal minister, assumed office as chief minister in March 2024 after securing 90 votes against PML-N’s Ibadullah, who received 16. His time in office was defined by tensions with the federal authorities and increasing internal discord within PTI over governance and key appointments.
The development comes amid mounting criticism of the provincial government’s handling of law and order. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ruled by PTI since 2013, has seen a sharp rise in militant violence in recent months, with record casualties among security forces.