The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has ruled out any changes to the office of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Chairman of the party, stated that Sohail Afridi remains the chief minister in the province and will continue in that role. The Chairman added that Afridi serves with the confidence and support of party founder and former premier Imran Khan.
A notification issued by the party directed all members, office-bearers, parliamentarians, and functionaries not to participate in meetings or initiate discussions regarding the nomination or replacement of the chief minister.
The notification further specified that "His decisions in this regard are final and binding upon all party members." Barrister Gohar Ali Khan noted that all party members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly are a source of pride for the organisation. He emphasized that internal party decisions are made in strict alignment with the instructions provided by Imran Khan.
Internal friction surfaced on 21 October when former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja exchanged barbs over internal divisions and political affairs. Salman Akram Raja claimed that undemocratic decision-makers are attempting to undermine internal consensus.
Ali Amin Gandapur alleged that some Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers were attempting to decide the party leadership and the next chief minister without the approval of the party founder or the political committee. A joint parliamentary party meeting on 22 October lasted over seven hours and featured heated arguments.
Some individuals questioned why the top leadership granted so much authority to Afridi, who they claimed held no position within the party hierarchy. Others argued that the leadership left everything to Afridi because of his interest in financial matters, transfers, and postings, even though he became non-functional after the imposition of governor's rule.
On 24 October, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan issued a notification stating the provincial organisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would continue to function under the presidency of Junaid Akbar. Senator Noorul Haq Qadri will preside over provincial cabinet meetings in the absence of Junaid Akbar.
PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa General Secretary Ali Asghar was assigned the responsibility of chairing meetings when the senior vice-president is absent. The provincial government faced a shift on 11 October when emergency and governor's rule were declared in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sohail Afridi was taken into custody on 11 October.
An anti-terrorism court in Peshawar issued arrest warrants for Sohail Afridi and other PTI leaders and office bearers regarding the May 9 attack case. A federal minister confirmed that he and some cabinet members were in preventive custody on 12 October. A long march initiated on 4 October was on its way to Swabi.
