Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Govt Drops No-Confidence Motion Against Outgoing CM | World News

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has abandoned the idea of ​​moving a no-confidence motion against outgoing Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, ARY News reported.

This comes after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governorate confirmed receiving Gandapur’s resignation. According to a statement from the KP Governor’s Office, Gandapur’s resignation was officially received at 2.30 pm on Saturday, ARY News reported.

According to ARY News, a meeting was held with constitutional experts at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Secretariat in Peshawar, where it was decided that the no-confidence motion could not proceed.

Sources told ARY News that Gandapur had already submitted his resignation, which neutralized the motion against him. “Considering that the Prime Minister has resigned, a no-confidence motion cannot be presented,” sources from the Parliament Secretariat said, as quoted by ARY News.

They also stated that the opposition could challenge the motion in court if PTI tabled it in parliament.

Gandapur on Wednesday announced that he will resign from his post as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following party founder Imran Khan’s directive to replace him with MPA Sohail Afridi, Dawn reported.

“The role of Prime Minister was the amaanat (trust) of Imran Khan Sahib and as per his order, I return his amaanat and submit my resignation,” a statement on Gandapur’s official Facebook account said.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram also shared the same message about X, attributing it to Gandapur. Dawn stated that PTI confirmed the news on the official X account and said, “Ali Amin Gandapur resigned as per Imran Khan’s directive.”

Shortly before Gandapur’s inauguration, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja confirmed that MPA Sohail Afridi has been selected as the next prime minister on the instructions of Imran Khan.

“It’s true,” Raja told a reporter in Rawalpindi when asked about Afridi’s appointment.

Speaking at a media briefing later, Raja said the decision was made by Imran Khan himself, who “explained the background of it in detail and also ordered me to place it before you.”

According to Dawn, Raja quoted Imran as expressing his deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The worst terrorism situation is happening in KP. There have been record incidents this year.” […] “There have been lives lost and martyrs so far, but no example of this has been found,” he said.

“Khan sahib is very upset about the incident that happened in Orakzai, Khan sahib said he now has no option but to make changes for him. [in KP CM]’ added Raja.

This development comes in the wake of the recent turmoil within PTI following the public spat between Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and Gandapur, in which both made serious allegations. While Gandapur accused Aleema of creating divisions within the party, she claimed that she had told her brother that she was trying to “hijack” PTI with the help of the organisation.

According to Dawn, Aleema’s remarks came a day after Gandapur met the detained PTI founder for over two hours and left without speaking to journalists. Gandapur later alleged that campaigns were being carried out to feature Aleema as PTI president and said that he had informed Imran that such moves were damaging the party.

The disagreement between the two has further fueled speculation that rifts between the PTI founder and his family members are widening.

In June, when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget was passed at midnight, tensions had already surfaced and divisions within the PTI had emerged. Gandapur had initially said that he would seek Imran Khan’s approval before finalizing the budget but later went on to pass the budget on June 24 without consulting him.

The move surprised senior PTI figures, including Salman Akram Raja and former KP finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, who said the approval could be delayed till June 27. Gandapur defended his decision, saying any delay could open the door to the implementation of governor’s rule in the state.