ISLAMABAD: Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, a Member of the National Assembly and former PTI leader, submitted a petition to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday requesting the reinstatement of Ali Amin Gandapur as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Gandapur had resigned from the KP chief ministership last October following directives from the PTI founding chairman, shortly after PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja announced Sohail Afridi as the party’s nominee for the position. Marwat, who was expelled from PTI in February last year for repeatedly violating party discipline, contended in his petition that Gandapur’s resignation was coerced and therefore lacks legal validity.
Without explicitly naming the imprisoned PTI founder, Marwat claimed that Gandapur’s resignation was forced “at the behest of a convicted and disqualified individual.” It is notable that Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is facing numerous charges including corruption and terrorism following his removal from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
Marwat urged the FCC to declare Gandapur’s resignation unconstitutional and invalid, asserting that his de-notification was unlawful and violated the Constitution. Furthermore, he requested the court to annul the notification appointing Sohail Afridi as KP Chief Minister and to reinstate Gandapur to the office. The petition also called for the cancellation of all official decisions made under what it described as “unconstitutional actions.”
In response, Ali Amin Gandapur distanced himself from the petition, stating he is not involved in any legal proceedings related to the matter. He emphasized that he had merely complied with instructions from the PTI chairman to resign from his post.
Meanwhile, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the petition, alleging it was part of a conspiracy against PTI. He asserted that only the PTI chairman holds the authority to decide the chief ministership and confirmed that Afridi’s appointment was made with the chairman’s consent, making the decision irreversible.
