Sohail Afridi | Pakistan

PESHAWAR - Sohail Afridi has taken oath as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking the annulment of Sohail Afridi’s election as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, who is set to be administered his oath by the provincial governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, later today. The petition, on which the court had reserved its verdict earlier today, was filed by JUI-F leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman yesterday. Rehman, who was among the four contenders for the KP CM post, had requested the court to “set aside” Afridi’s election and declare it null and void. At today’s hearing, which was presided over by Justice Arshad Ali and Justice Waqar Ahmad, Barrister Yaseen appeared on behalf of Rehman against PTI’s Salman Akram Raja. Addressing the court, Raja pointed out that the JUI-F petition at hand “has become ineffective in light of yesterday’s PHC order.” Responding to his comments, Justice Ali said, “Yes, we are aware of the order, but let’s hear the petitioner’s argument.” Barrister Yaseen told the court, “How was a new chief minister e...

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Tuesday filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) challenging the election of Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), declaring it unconstitutional and illegal.

PESHAWAR: Newly-elected CM Sohail Afridi addressing KP Assembly.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) nominee, Sohail Afridi, has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after securing 90 votes in the provincial assembly.

Peshawar - Tribal elders and local elites have welcomed the decision of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan to nominate Sohail Afridi for the Chief Minister’s position in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PTI’s Sohail Afridi and three other opposition candidates on Sunday submitted their nomination papers to contest the chief minister election scheduled to be held during a session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly tomorrow, according to the assembly’s secretary. Afridi, a member of the provincial assembly hailing from Bara, was nominated for the office by party founder Imran Khan after outgoing KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced his resignation earlier this week. This has prompted an election to decide KP’s next chief executive. Secretary Syed Muhammad Mahir told reporters that Afridi’s papers, as well as those of the three opposition candidates — contesting on behalf of the PPP, PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) — have been received and approved. “The nomination papers of the PTI’s Sohail Afridi have been approved,” he said. “The papers of Arbab Zarq of the People’s Party, Sardar Jahan of the PML-N and Maulana Lutfur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F have also been approved for th...

PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur said on Wednesday that he resigned from his role as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister while the party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, confirmed that party founder Imran Khan directed Sohail Afridi to assume the role of provincial chief executive. In a post on X following today’s surprise developments, Gandapur said: “In respectful compliance of the orders of my leader … Imran Khan, it is my honour to tender my resignation.” He also attached a copy of his resignation sent to KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. “When I took over as chief minister, the province was faced with a dual challenge of financial ruin and menace of terrorism. Over the last one and a half year, with the support of my cabinet, our party members and workers, my team of bureaucracy and above all, guidance of Imran Khan, we steered the province to financial stability and countered the menace of militancy with resolute courage and unwavering decision-making. We initiated mega projects of nation-building in a provin...

PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur said on Wednesday that he will resign from his role as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister shortly after the party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, confirmed that party founder Imran Khan directed Sohail Afridi to assume the role of provincial chief executive. At just 35, Afridi has emerged as one of the most prominent young faces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s political paradigm. Representing PK-70 Bara for the first time as an MPA, Afridi’s political struggle reflects a steady rise from student activism to a cabinet position. Born in 1989 in Khyber district’s Bara tehsil, Afridi’s roots lie deep in the tribal heartland, an area that has seen immense transformation in recent years. A graduate in economics, his early years were marked by his involvement in student politics — a platform that paved the way for his future in provincial governance. Afridi served as the provincial president of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF), the student wing of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), where h...