The Secretary General of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Salman Akram Raja has officially announced that Ali Amin Gandapur will be replaced by Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister in the Pakistani Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Sohail Afridi belongs to the Qaim Khel, Bara of the district Khyber. He was a young leader and the first ever elected Member of the Provincial assembly (MPA) in the 2024 general elections.
Before his entrance into provincial politics, Afridi had a reputation within the community as a leader with Insaf Students Federation (ISF) as the two years President of Insaf Students Federation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He served as the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Communication and Works in the former PTI government after which he became a Minister of Higher Education. He also holds the position of an active member of the Central Executive Committee of PTI.
In an interview with journalists, outside Adiala Jail, Salman Akram Raja affirmed the change; he stated,
“Yes, it’s absolutely correct. Imran Khan has decided so and there is a due process of doing so.
Sohail Afridi will be new Chief Minister KP! :- GS PTI @salmanAraja conveyed Imran Khan's message
— FawadAzizKtk (@ImFawadKtk) October 8, 2025
He said that Imran Khan chose to change Gandapur after analysing the situation in the province. As indicated by Raja, Khan was alarmed by the increasing cases of terrorism in KP and believed that the state required a fresh leadership style.
He also included the allegations made by Ali Amin Gandapur that Ali Amin leveled serious allegations on Aleema Khan indicating that Aleema caused divisions in the party as well contributing to the tensions.
Raja states that Imran Khan was saddened by the recent attacks of terrorists including the one that took place in the Orakzai district that killed Pakistani soldiers. Khan pointed out that the only way to make it possible to have peace in KP and furthermore in Pakistan was through dialogue and cooperation with all concerned parties which included tribal communities and the Afghan government.
After the announcement Ali Amin Gandapur took a step to resign stating that he resigned on the direction of Imran Khan. He was in full support of Sohail Afridi, and assured to cooperate to release Imran Khan and the unity of the party.
This is after the official confirmation of rumors on social media that PTI had previously denied rumors of a change of leadership in KP, but the official one has now clarified that Sohail Afridi is the new face of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw led by PTI.
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