PESHAWAR: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s parliamentary party on Thursday approved MPA from Khyber tribal district Sohail Afridi as the successor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur.

The development came during a meeting held here with Gandapur in the chair.

The participants included Speaker of the provincial assembly Babar Saleem Swati and other PTI lawmakers.

They all announced all-out support for Sohail Afridi, nominated by PTI founder Imran Khan for the CM’s slot, according to insiders.

Opposition likely to field joint candidate

“Everybody seemed united as they all announced support for Sohail Afridi,” parliamentary secretary for livestock Malik Adeel Iqbal told Dawn.

He also said that Gandapur wished Mr Afridi the best of luck while promising all-out support for him.

Mr Iqbal also said that nothing special was discussed in the meeting, which was called only for approving Mr Afridi as the province’s next chief minister.

Mr Gandapur stepped down as the chief minister on Wednesday after incarcerated PTI leader Imran Khan ordered him to resign, apparently due to the deteriorating law and order in the province.

Sohail Afridi will replace him as the chief executive of the restive province, according to the ruling party.

The provincial assembly’s website shows that Mr Afridi enjoys the support of 93 PTI-backed independent members.

Meanwhile, the combined opposition, which has 18 MPAs of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, 17 of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, 10 of Pakistan Peoples Party, four of Awami National Party and three of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-Parliamentarians, is likely to pitch Maulana Lutfur Rehman of the JUI-F as its joint candidate for the chief minister’s office.

Reports suggested a meeting of opposition parties in the provincial capital on the day with Opposition Leader in the provincial assembly Dr Ibadullah in the chair.

However, the meeting wasn’t held due to the unavailability of opposition MPAs.

Sources claimed that heads of all opposition parties in the provincial assembly would jointly decide about the CM’s election during a meeting in Islamabad.

The JUI-F is confident about securing the combined opposition’s support for its nomination, according to sources.

When contacted, JUI-F MPA Adnan Khan said that there would be a surprise.

He said he, too, was in Islamabad.

“There will be separate meetings. First, each party will hold their internal consultation, and then, heads of opposition parties will meet to make final decisions, but there will be a surprise,” he told Dawn.

The lawmaker also said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, his brother and member of the KP Assembly Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi from the PPP and federal minister Amir Maqam from the PML-N were present in the federal capital.

PPP member Ahmad Karim Kundi told Dawn that though consultation between opposition MPAs was underway, their leadership, too, was busy holding meetings. He, however, said no meeting of the opposition alliance had taken place in the provincial capital.

“Consultation is going on but it is too early to comment about the opposition’s nominee for CM’s slot. There is no decision about it as yet. However, we [opposition] will try to field a joint candidate,” he told Dawn over the phone from abroad.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2025