Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has warned that the oath-taking ceremony of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister-elect Sohail Afridi should not be delayed beyond October 14. Speaking to journalists outside the Peshawar High Court, Raja said that under the Constitution, there is no justification for delaying the oath, adding that the province cannot function without a government.
PTI Warns Against Delay in Oath-Taking of KP CM-Elect Sohail Afridi, as the party submitted a petition in the Peshawar High Court seeking immediate administration of the oath to the newly elected chief executive. Raja criticised Governor Faisal Karim Kundi for his absence from the province, asserting that the oath must be administered without delay, even if the chief justice has to nominate an alternate official.
The controversy arose after Governor Kundi rejected former CM Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation, citing doubts over the authenticity of his signatures. Gandapur had stepped down last week on the directions of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan. Raja alleged that the governor was deliberately attempting to create hurdles to delay the new CM’s oath.
Earlier on Monday, PTI’s Sohail Afridi was elected as the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, securing 90 votes in the provincial assembly, while opposition parties, including JUI-F, PML-N, and PPP, boycotted the session. Afridi, a young PTI leader who began his political journey in 2015 and won as an MPA in the 2024 general elections, will replace Gandapur as the province’s top executive.
The Peshawar High Court has sought a report from the attorney general regarding the delay and adjourned the hearing until tomorrow. Meanwhile, the federal government has criticised PTI’s decision, accusing the party of maintaining a lenient stance toward extremist groups, a charge PTI leaders continue to deny.
