Who is Sohail Afridi, Imran Khan’s pick for new KP chief minister?

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has nominated Sohail Afridi as the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to party sources.

Legal expert Salman Akram Raja said the decision was made by the PTI founder himself and came in the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in the province. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing the worst wave of terrorism. Today, our soldiers and officers were martyred in Orakzai,” he said, adding that the provincial government was advised to distance itself from the federal government’s “flawed policies.”

Raja criticised the recent deportation of Afghan citizens, saying it was unnecessary. He also blamed former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for not visiting Afghanistan during his tenure despite serving for over a year. “The only way to end terrorism is through dialogue,” Raja said.

Sohail Afridi, the PTI nominee for the top provincial post, hails from Khyber district. He has previously served as president of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and was earlier appointed as the special assistant to the chief minister on Communication and Works. Following a cabinet reshuffle, Afridi was elevated to the position of provincial minister for Higher Education.