Federal minister rules out governor's rule in KP for now

• Muqam says governor's rule is constitutional option.
• Voting for KP chief minister scheduled for tomorrow.
• PML-N, JUI-F yet to agree on joint nominee.
  

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam said on Sunday that while governor’s rule is a constitutional option, there are currently no deliberations underway to impose it in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking to Geo News, the minister said the governor had received the chief minister’s resignation and would process it in accordance with the law. “Every step must follow constitutional procedure,” he said.

Muqam criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying the party appeared to be acting out of fear. “If PTI cannot wait until Monday, it seems they have concerns. If they have confined their MPAs, there must be some fear,” he said, adding that the party was trying to make the issue controversial.

He expressed hope that efforts would be made to agree on a consensus candidate for the upcoming chief minister election.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) nominee Sohail Afridi filed his nomination papers for the top post election.

On the opposition side, JUI-F's Maulana Lutfur Rehman and PML-N's Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf submitted their nomination papers. 

Opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have decided to field a joint candidate for the chief minister's post, with the process for submitting nomination papers underway, the sources said on Sunday.

Speaking to Geo News, JUI-F provincial chief Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman confirmed that opposition parties would field their own candidate, calling the submission of nomination papers a "constitutional and legal right". 

He added that the consultation process was still underway to agree on a joint candidate.

Meanwhile, the KP Assembly secretariat has said nomination papers for the election of the new chief minister will be submitted by 3pm today. The scrutiny process will be completed by 4pm, while voting for the election is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Monday).

The KP Assembly is set to elect the new Leader of the House on October 13 (Monday), as KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi confirmed receiving CM Ali Amin Gandapur's resignation.

Babar Saleem Swati, the speaker of KP Assembly, shared the schedule via a post on X, announcing that the election for the new CM will take place at 10am on Monday, October 13.

Gandapur, a firebrand PTI leader, stepped down from the post of KP CM on October 8, hours after party leaders announced Afridi's nomination for the post.

"In respectful compliance of the orders of my leader, and founding PTI chairman, Imran Khan, it is my honour to tender my resignation from the Office of the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," he wrote in a post on X at the time.