PTI chairman bars any move to replace KP chief minister Sohail Afridi

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has issued a notification on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. It says Afridi will stay in the post with the trust and support of the party founder, Imran Khan.

According to the notification, PTI leaders and office-bearers are barred from presenting any agenda aimed at changing the chief minister. Calling meetings on nominating or replacing the chief minister is banned, and no proposal or debate on the subject is allowed.

Minute Mirror reported that the directive covers party members, office-bearers, parliamentarians and officials. It said they were told not to arrange or attend such meetings, introduce agendas or start discussions, and not to consider alternative candidates.

The notification states that only Imran Khan can nominate another chief minister or reverse the decision. Gohar said the founder's decisions on the KP chief minister would be final and binding on all party members.

Express News quoted Gohar as saying the founder's decisions on the matter would be "final and binding on all party members", in Urdu. All PTI members and office-bearers have been directed to implement the notification.

Minute Mirror said the directive came amid reports of internal disagreements over provincial leadership and strategy. It reported that former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja recently exchanged criticism over party divisions.

According to the same report, Gandapur demanded evidence for Raja's allegations and called for an apology. He disputed claims that provincial lawmakers were trying to choose the next chief minister without the approval of Imran Khan or the political committee.