PESHAWAR (Zeeshan Kakakhel) – Opposition parties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have failed to agree on a joint candidate for the office of chief minister after PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur resignation.
Sources have revealed that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wishes to nominate its own candidate, while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) is also actively working to bring forward its own nominee. Political leaders have intensified efforts to build consensus among the opposition parties.
According to sources, the opposition leader is expected to contact key leaders of JUI-F on Thursday (today). A day earlier, the opposition leader had also held consultations with the governor and Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman.
The opposition leader in the provincial assembly advised all parties to unanimously nominate a single candidate.
Meanwhile, outgoing Chief Minister Gandapur has called a meeting of the PTI assembly members and leaders this evening at the Chief Minister's House.
He was scheduled to return to his native Dera Ismail Khan yesterday, but close associates advised him to delay his departure. His formal farewell is now expected after today’s speech.
Gandapur tendered his resignation on the advice of party’s founding chairman Imran Khan. PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja confirmed the news of Gandapur's resignation and nomination of Suhail Afridi as the new chief minister.