Sohail Afridi becomes new CM of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

With 90 votes in his favor, Sohail Afridi has been elected the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Opposition Leader Dr Ibadullah stated during his speech that Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation had not yet been accepted, and therefore, as long as there is one chief minister in office, another cannot be elected.

Following his remarks, opposition members staged a walkout and boycotted the proceedings, terming them “unlawful.”

In his maiden address to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, newly elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced a judicial inquiry into the May 9 incident in which the Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar was set ablaze.

He also stated that an investigation would be launched into alleged electoral irregularities during the February 8 elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Recalling the November 26 protest, Afridi condemned the recent firing on a religious party's workers and compared it to the attacks once faced by PTI supporters. 

The chief minister criticised the federal government’s stance on Afghan refugees, calling it inhumane. “Our Afghan brothers and sisters have lived with us for 40 to 50 years. Forcing them out is against both humanity and Islam,” he said, urging the federal government and military establishment to reconsider their Afghan policy.

Afridi hinted at abolishing the ‘Action in Aid to Civil Power’ law, saying it would be taken up in the first cabinet meeting.

“No military operation will be carried out while we are in power,” he reaffirmed Imran Khan’s stance that military operations are not a solution and insisted no operation would take place without public consultation.

He also announced several welfare initiatives, including the Ehsaas Maa Program for pregnant women, scholarships for orphan girls, the revival of border markets, and infrastructure improvements in tourism regions and major motorways across the province.