(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur resigned following jailed PTI leader Imran Khan's directive, amid criticism over worsening security and political tensions in the province.
Ali Amin Gandapur, the Chief Minister of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has resigned following instructions from imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, deepening political uncertainty in the party's last stronghold.

Announcing his resignation on Thursday, Gandapur described the post as a“trust bestowed by Imran Khan,” saying he was now returning that trust in line with the party founder's directive. PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja confirmed the move earlier in the day, saying the transition would be smooth and that lawmaker Sohail Afridi had been nominated as the new chief minister.

Party sources told Reuters that Khan was dissatisfied with Gandapur's performance, particularly his inability to stabilize security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that has faced growing militant activity in recent months. PTI leaders have also accused the provincial administration of failing to clearly oppose what they describe as the“flawed security policies” of Pakistan's central government.

The region has seen an uptick in violence. The Pakistani army said this week that 19 militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while two officers and nine soldiers were also killed in the clashes.

The tensions come as Khan continues to push for dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, arguing that peace in Pakistan's northwest depends on cross-border cooperation. In September, the PTI founder instructed Gandapur to visit Kabul for direct talks with Taliban officials - a move that drew criticism from Islamabad.

At the time, Gandapur said his passport had been revoked by the federal government but declared he was“ready to go to Kabul even without one.” Later, on October 2, he announced that Pakistan's authorities had agreed to his proposal to open negotiations with the Afghan Taliban.

Imran Khan, who remains in jail, has long maintained that dialogue, not military confrontation, is the only path to securing peace in the region. He has repeatedly condemned Pakistan's military strikes on Afghanistan territory and criticized the deportation of Afghan refugees as“inhumane and counterproductive.”

Gandapur's resignation underscores the growing rift between Khan's populist movement and Pakistan's security establishment, as PTI struggles to retain political control in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid a deteriorating security situation and continued government pressure.

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