KP opposition gears up to nominate joint CM candidate

PESHAWAR: Following the resignation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, opposition parties have begun consultations to field a joint candidate for the province’s top post.

According to sources, opposition leaders have convened meetings and instructed their members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) to remain in Peshawar as discussions intensify.

The sources added that after the meeting, opposition party heads will take their lawmakers into confidence before finalising a consensus candidate for the chief minister’s slot.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is also present in Peshawar to oversee the party’s strategy.

Meanwhile, PTI Parliamentarians General Secretary Malik Habib Noor Orakzai told that the party is also consulting with the opposition on bringing a joint candidate for the chief minister’s slot.

He said that since the JUI-F holds a majority in the assembly, its candidate could be nominated for the position, adding that the party is also in contact with independent lawmakers.

Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Information and Broadcasting Ikhtiar Wali Khan said that the joint opposition is holding consultations over the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will soon announce a consensus candidate for the chief minister’s post.

Earlier,Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, has announced his resignation from office.

In a statement shared on social media, Gandapur said that the position of Chief Minister was a trust given by the party’s founder, and in accordance with his directive, he was returning that trust by stepping down.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja confirmed that, on the instructions of the PTI founder, Ali Amin Gandapur has been removed from his position and Sohail Afridi is being appointed as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.