Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief Gandapur clashes with PTI secretary-general — Dawn
An internal conflict in Pakistan’s PTI party has intensified in Peshawar: former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and party secretary-general Salman Akram Raja exchanged mutual accusations on social media platform X. The dispute arose after reports that a group of provincial assembly members proposed nominating Gandapur as acting PTI chairman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As Dawn reports, lawmakers proposed appointing Gandapur to replace Junaid Akbar, who had been absent after governor’s rule was imposed in the province. In a handwritten document addressed to PTI’s interim chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Raja, the meeting’s participants unanimously called Gandapur “the right man for the job.”
Lawmakers’ meeting and the secretary-general’s reaction
According to one participant, around 55 provincial assembly members took part in the October 14 meeting via Zoom and WhatsApp. They discussed party organization, negotiations with the government, further protests and legal issues. One of the decisions was a demand to immediately appoint Gandapur as interim head of the provincial chapter.
Raja criticized the possible appointment of a new leader without permission from the party’s imprisoned founder Imran Khan or PTI’s political committee. He said that the group of lawmakers had allegedly cut off contact with Sohail Afridi and his team at the end of the protest march, which, in his view, contributed to the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in the province.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The secretary-general also said that the acting head of the provincial chapter remains PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa secretary-general Ali Asghar, while Sohail Afridi continues to serve as the province’s chief minister.
Gandapur demanded an apology
In response, Gandapur accused Raja of offensive rhetoric and demanded an apology for references to “snakes and vipers.” He said that amid unprecedented political challenges, it was unbecoming for the leadership to make vague accusations and mock the party’s elected representatives.
The former chief minister also alleged that Raja had been hiding during the protest movement and questioned his contribution to PTI’s activities. Gandapur asked who had given certain party members the right to call lawmakers traitors, conspirators or undemocratic actors for trying to find a constitutional and political solution to the crisis.
Provincial assembly member Mashal Yousafzai, a former spokesperson for Bushra Bibi, also accused Gandapur and several other party figures of the failure of the protest march and the subsequent imposition of governor’s rule.
