PTI’s Gandapur elected as KP Chief Minister

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur has been elected as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on Friday after voting concluded in the KP Assembly.

He was up against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Dr Ibadullah Khan for the slot.

Imran Khan, who has been in prison in multiple cases, had nominated Gandapur for as the party candidate for the office.

The PTI leader won by securing a total of 90 votes while his rival Ibadullah of the PML-N got 16 votes.

He had the support of Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) members while Dr Ibadullah has the support of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P).

علی امین گنڈاپور 90 ووٹوں کے ساتھ وزیراعلی خیبرپختونخوا منتخب!#خیبرپختونخوا_کپتان_کا pic.twitter.com/JgTdmLrGbk

— PTI (@PTIofficial) March 1, 2024

Gandapur, a long servant of PTI, was the former federal minister for Kashmir affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan during the Khan’s government at the Centre from October 2018 to April 2022.

Soon after being elected as the KP’s leader of the house, Gandapur lamented the “injustice and cruelty” imposed on party leadership, including Imran Khan and party workers.

“We need to change this precedent; today it happens with us, tomorrow it will happen with someone else. The nation will hold us accountable, and we will need to give answers,” he said in his speech.

He praised Imran Khan for “giving Pakistan a better standing in the world” and said the incarcerated leader was correct in saying that Pakistan was not free but shackled in slavery.