Newly-elected KP Chief Minister decides to meet Imran Khan tomorrow 

Newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi has decided to meet PTI founding chairman Imran Khan immediately after taking oath of office. 

The Chief Minister has decided to go to Adiala on Thursday (October 16) to meet Imran Khan. The provincial government has sent a formal letter to the federal and Punjab governments for arrangements for the Chief Minister to meet Imran Khan. In this regard, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department has sent a letter to the Federal Home Secretary and the Punjab Home Secretary. Necessary arrangements should be made for the Chief Minister to meet Imran Khan, the letter said. 

Earlier, the newly-elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has taken oath of his office at the Governor House in Peshawar. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Governor House amid the presence of charged PTI workers who raised slogan in favour of PTI founder Imran Khan. On the occasion, Governor congratulated the newly-elected Chief Minister.      

Earlier KP Governor House has officially informed the Chief Minister House regarding the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Following a directive from the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Governor Faisal Karim Kundi returned to Peshawar last night, cutting short his visit to Sindh.

The court had ordered him to administer the oath by 4 pm today. The high court also instructed that if the governor were unavailable, the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly would perform the swearing-in duties. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has welcomed the court's decision, calling it a victory for justice. At the time of the court order, Governor Kundi was in Karachi meeting with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

During the meeting, Bilawal instructed the governor to travel to Peshawar and comply with the court's ruling.

Furthermore, Bilawal directed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to provide Governor Faisal Kundi with a special aircraft to ensure his immediate travel back to the provincial capital, Peshawar, to take oath from the newly elected CM.

On the other hand, the opposition party in the KP Assembly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl group (JUI-F), has rejected the PHC’s decision.

Senior JUI-F leader Maulana Asad Mehmood has called the ruling unfair and unacceptable. He stated that the verdict goes against democratic norms and was issued under political pressure.

It is also pertinent to note that JUI-F, which is currently in opposition in the KP Assembly, has already challenged the election of Sohail Afridi in the PHC.

The petition was submitted by JUI-F’s parliamentary leader in the KP Assembly, Lutfur Rehman. According to the petition, the resignation of former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has not yet been formally accepted by the Governor, casting doubts over the legality of electing a new chief minister. The JUI-F cited Article 130(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, which stipulates that a new chief minister may only be elected once the incumbent’s resignation is officially approved.