Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to elect new chief minister today

PESHAWAR: The election for the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be held here on Monday.

Four candidates are in the running for the position. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated Sohail Afridi, while the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has put forward Maulana Lutf-ur-Rehman as its candidate.

From the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Sardar Shah Jehan Yousaf is contesting, whereas the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated Arbab Zarak Khan for the top provincial office.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly comprises 145 members, including 93 from the treasury benches and 52 from the opposition.

73 votes will be needed to be elected to the Leader of the House, and consultation is underway by the opposition parties to bring a joint candidate.

PTI says it has administered oaths to its candidates and tightened discipline within its ranks. PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Junaid Akbar warned party lawmakers against defection, saying those who betray the nominated PTI candidate will face the party’s strongest measures and that any attempts to lure members away would be resisted.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi has formally written to Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, directing him to appear at the Governor’s House on October 15 for verification of two purported resignation letters received earlier this month.

According to the Governor’s letter, two separate sets of resignation documents dated October 8 and October 11, were received at the Governor’s House, both allegedly bearing different and inconsistent signatures.

The Governor said that, as he is currently out of the city and will return to Peshawar on the evening of October 15, the Chief Minister has been advised to meet him at 3:00 p.m. the same day to verify the authenticity of the documents.