Rawalpindi, October 9, 2025: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has directed all party lawmakers to immediately resign from Punjab Assembly standing committees, party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail after meeting the incarcerated party founder, Gohar said PTI currently heads 14 standing committees in the provincial assembly. He added that the directive came directly from Imran Khan as part of the party’s evolving political strategy, which also includes boycotting the upcoming by-elections.
“This decision reflects our protest against the prevailing political imbalance and biased governance,” Gohar said. He noted that the move follows a similar step taken last month, when PTI lawmakers resigned from the National Assembly and Senate committees on Khan’s instructions.
Gohar, accompanied by Senator Ali Zafar, said the meeting lasted over an hour and that Khan was “in good health and high spirits.”
Discussing legal matters, he said the Toshakhana II case against Imran Khan had concluded, with final arguments scheduled for October 13 and a verdict expected early next week. Gohar described the case as the fifth “fabricated” one filed to keep the PTI founder imprisoned, calling it “a clear example of political victimisation.”
Turning to political developments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gohar confirmed that Khan had personally nominated Suhail Afridi as the new chief minister and would finalise the provincial cabinet once the transition is complete. He urged Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to promptly accept the resignation of outgoing CM Ali Amin Gandapur to ensure an orderly handover, rejecting speculation of any forward bloc within PTI.
“Decisions are made in line with the founder’s directives, and this change in KP’s leadership is entirely his decision,” Gohar said, emphasising that the party remains “united and disciplined.”
The status of Gandapur’s resignation, however, remains uncertain. Sources at the Chief Minister’s House said the resignation letter was delivered to the gate of Governor House late Wednesday night, while Governor Kundi was in Islamabad, attending meetings and a football match between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Speaking to a private news channel, Governor Kundi confirmed that he has not yet received the resignation through official channels but would review it “strictly in accordance with legal and constitutional provisions” once it is received. “If there is any procedural issue or error, it will be returned,” he added.
Meanwhile, Senator Ali Zafar quoted Imran Khan as saying that the existing provincial cabinet will remain in place under the new chief minister, with possible changes to be considered later. “The founder made it clear that the change in KP’s chief minister is a constitutional process, and any attempt to obstruct it will be met with strong resistance,” Zafar told reporters.
