Islamabad, Oct 8 The Chief Minister of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday announced that he was resigning from office on the instructions given by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, local media reported.
While announcing the decision, Gandapur said that he would "fully support the new Chief Minister" and continue working for the province under the guidance of PTI's leadership, Pakistan's leading media outlet Samaa TV reported.
"I am resigning from the chief ministership on the orders of the founder of PTI. I will fully support the new CM in every way possible," Gandapur was quoted as saying by the provincial media.
The decision comes after internal discussions happened within the PTI leadership, which recently decided to make changes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial administration to strengthen government and in line with objectives of the party.
Party sources have indicated that Imran Khan personally asked Gandapur to resign to facilitate a smooth transition of leadership and ensure that PTI's provincial government continues to function with stability and focus.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has said that Sohail Afridi has been nominated as new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM. He said that PTI founder had asked Gandapur to step down, saying that the decision was in his own best interest, Pakistan-based The News International reported. "We expect Sohail Afridi to guide and advise the federal government on these matters," said Raja.
The development comes amid reports of internal rifts within PTI as Gandapur and Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khan recently levelled allegations against each other. In order to reduce tensions, Imran Khan instructed Gandapur and Aleema Khan to not make public remarks, The News International reported.
Earlier, Gandapur had warned Imran Khan about "vloggers" trying to create divisions in the PTI and promoting Aleema Khan as party's chairperson and even PM.
In a video message shared on social media, Gandapur alleged that Aleema Khan failed to control vloggers and actively backed their campaign. He said that he conveyed to Imran Khan that columnist Hafeezullah Niazi, a relative of Imran Khan, was writing articles portraying Aleema Khan as PTI chairperson and PM.
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