PTI confirms Akbar as head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter — Dawn
In Pakistan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has confirmed that National Assembly member Junaid Akbar remains president of its provincial chapter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In his absence, meetings of the party’s provincial cabinet will be conducted by the chapter’s senior vice president, Senator Noorul Haq Qadri, Dawn reports.
PTI leadership decision
The relevant notice was signed by PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan. It states that the provincial organization will continue to operate under Akbar’s leadership, while Qadri will act in accordance with the party’s constitution. Qadri previously served as federal minister for religious affairs under the PTI government.
Ali Asghar Khan, the general secretary of the PTI chapter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will chair meetings in Qadri’s absence. He was also tasked with convening and chairing meetings at other levels of the provincial organization, ensuring coordination, oversight and implementation of party decisions.
PTI separately prohibited any changes to the provincial cabinet’s composition or the chapter’s organizational structure until further instructions.
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Akbar’s absence and the dispute
Akbar’s whereabouts remain unknown after he, Sohail Afridi and others were taken into preventive detention on October 11. This happened after the central authorities imposed a state of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Against the backdrop of Akbar’s absence, reports emerged that on October 14 more than 50 members of the provincial assembly supported nominating former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur as acting president of the chapter.
The PTI notice also came amid a public dispute between Gandapur and the party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, over the possible appointment of a new leader. Raja mentioned a narrative that 68 members allegedly at odds with the party planned to appoint a new president. Gandapur, for his part, criticized Raja for vague accusations against fellow party members.
