Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan has said the change of prime minister in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was inevitable given the province’s circumstances, warning that any outside interference would be met with strong protests.
In a message from Adiala jail published in
“No one should interfere so that this process can be completed as soon as possible. If anyone tries to intervene, there will be strong protests,” Imran warned.
He said the selection of Sohail Afridi reflected Afridi’s long association with student politics, the ISF and the PTI ideology, and that the decision reinforced the party’s narrative of including grassroots workers in decision-making rather than relying only on the eligible.
Also read: Tarar alleges Sohail Afridi was elected KP CM over militant links
Imran rejected suggestions linking the provincial chief minister’s change to his family members, calling such claims “completely false”. “This was a completely political decision in which no member of my family had any influence. No member of my family has any role in my political decisions,” he said.
He described Ali Amin Gandapur as an old and loyal colleague but said he was embroiled in controversies.
“2025 has been the worst year in Pakistan’s history in terms of terrorist incidents, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cannot bear this situation any longer,” he said, adding his hope that the new prime minister and his team will work with elected representatives to adopt a comprehensive policy aimed at eliminating terrorism and ensuring lasting peace.
Imran said that he has been enunciating a clear strategy to combat terrorism for two decades and by following the strategy, the PTI government had controlled the menace of terrorism to a large extent during its three-and-a-half-year rule.
Read more: Ali Amin Gandapur resigns as KP CM, sends letter to governor
He said the party had entered into talks with the then Ashraf Ghani government and had reached an understanding with tribal communities and Afghan refugees through dialogue.
He criticized recent claims that contemporary terrorism in the country was a result of militants supposedly based during his rule, calling the allegation “completely false.”
Imran further alleged that politically motivated cases were continuously and repeatedly filed against him. “Baseless cases, big and small, have been brought against me and my wife, Bushra Begum, including the Toshakhana, Al-Qadir and cypher cases, among others, to force me into submission and make me abandon my resolve for true freedom,” he added.
