PESHAWAR: The political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained in limbo on Friday after Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur departed the provincial capital for his hometown, with the fate of a resignation he tendered 48 hours earlier still unconfirmed.
Mr Gandapur left for Dera Ismail Khan after saying farewell to his staff at the chief minister’s house, despite his resignation not yet being formally accepted by the province’s governor.
In his first media interaction after resigning, Mr Gandapur had pressed for the swift acceptance of his resignation on Thursday night. He said any delay in the process would be detrimental to the province.
However, the resignation cannot be processed until the governor reviews it. An official on Governor Faisal Karim Kundi’s staff told Dawn the governor was in Islamabad and not expected to return to Peshawar until Saturday (today).
Withdrawal is pending as governor is out of town
“The resignation letter may have arrived in mail but I could not say anything in this regard right now,” the official said.
A spokesperson for Gandapur confirmed the chief minister’s departure in a statement, noting that a large number of employees from the chief minister’s house and secretariat were present to see him off. Mr Gandapur thanked the staff for their cooperation during his tenure.
Upon reaching Dera Ismail Khan later in the afternoon, Mr Gandapur was greeted by supporters at the Yarak Interchange who showered his convoy with rose petals. In a brief address, Mr Gandapur reiterated that his political career was focused on public service rather than power.
“My politics was never about power but about serving the people,” Mr Gandapur said, stressing that the trust of his constituents remained his “greatest strength despite his resignation”.
Meanwhile, a leader from Gandapur’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, said they were awaiting the governor’s approval.
“The moment Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi approves the resignation, the process for the election of the new chief minister would be started,” the PTI leader said.
He noted that any decisions about a future provincial cabinet would be made by the nominee for chief minister, Sohail Afridi, after meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan.
According to Article 130 (8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, “the Chief Minister may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Governor, resign his office.” The governor can, however, invoke Article 133 to ask the chief minister to continue his duties as an interim arrangement until a successor is in place.
