PESHAWAR:
As many as four candidates have submitted their nomination papers for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister election to be held on Monday.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fielded Sohail Afridi, while three opposition candidates – Maulana Lutfur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Sardar Shah Jehan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Arbab Zarak of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – have also entered the race.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session is scheduled to begin at 10 am on Monday to elect the new chief minister following the resignation of Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur. The nomination process concluded on Sunday.
Accompanied by President Babar Saleem Swati, Vice President Surayya Bibi and other cabinet members, Afridi submitted two sets of nomination papers to the Assembly Secretary.
On the opposition side, the three candidates jointly filed their nomination papers, accompanied by former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani and other opposition lawmakers. The deadline for submitting applications was set for Sunday at 3 p.m. After careful consideration by the President, the four nomination papers were declared valid.
According to sources in the Assembly, the candidates could withdraw their candidature before the start of the session on Monday. Opposition sources said Maulana Lutfur Rehman could emerge as the joint opposition candidate, although Sardar Shah Jehan’s name is also under consideration.
Opposition parties are expected to finalize their joint candidate at a meeting before the session.
Who are the main contenders for the KP CM slot?
PTI’s candidate for KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi began his political journey in 2007 as a member of the Insaf Students’ Federation (ISF), the student wing of the party. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Peshawar.
Afridi also served as the Provincial Minister for Higher Education in the cabinet of outgoing CM Gandapur and was elected Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) from PK-70, Khyber district, in the February 8 general elections.
He belongs to the Shalobar Qambar Khel tribe of Khyber district and is known within the PTI as a young leader with strong connections and influence within the party.
Throughout his political career, Afridi held several key positions in the PTI. As a student, he was among the founding members of the ISF, and in 2012 he was elected president of the Peshawar district of the ISF. Two years later, in 2014, he became the president of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ISF.
Afridi completed his bachelor’s degree (with distinction) in economics from the University of Peshawar in 2012 and started his master’s degree in economics in 2014. However, he was unable to complete his degree due to his active participation in the 126-day PTI sit-in in Islamabad. Later, he successfully completed his courses and defended his thesis.
Rising steadily through the PTI youth ranks, Afridi was elected president of Insaf Youth Wing for Peshawar region in 2019 and then president of Insaf Youth Wing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2022, a position he still holds.
Maulana Lutfur Rehman is the brother of JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He was the leader of the opposition in the previous Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Although the opposition parties have jointly submitted nomination papers for three candidates, Lutfur Rehman appears to be the strongest contender, while the other two candidates are expected to withdraw from the race before the start of the Assembly session.
Party’s latest position in KP Assembly
The KP Assembly consists of 145 members while the composition shows a clear dominance of PTI-backed independent members, positioning the party to easily win the leadership spot in the House.
According to the latest figures, 92 independent members, aligned with the PTI, constitute the largest bloc in the assembly. Among the political parties, the JUI-F and the PML-N each hold 18 seats.
The Pakistan People’s Party parliamentarians have 10 members, while the Awami National Party has four seats. Pakistani parliamentarians Tehreek-e-Insaf, a splinter group, holds three seats.
