Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced the appointment of Junaid Akbar, Member of National Assembly (MNA), as the new president of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), replacing Ali Amin Gandapur. The decision was made by PTI founder Imran Khan and confirmed by the party’s Secretary General, Salman Akram Raja, on Saturday.
Gandapur, who currently serves as the Chief Minister of KP, will continue focusing on governance and the challenges of law and order in the province, leading to his request for a replacement at the party’s helm in KP. Raja, speaking to the press outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, emphasized that Akbar’s new role comes at a time when Gandapur is managing significant administrative duties in the province.
“Ali Amin Gandapur has a great deal of responsibilities as KP chief minister. He faces many challenges in governance and ensuring law and order. Therefore, at his request, Imran Khan decided that Junaid Akbar Khan will become PTI president in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Raja explained.
This transition comes just a day after Junaid Akbar’s unopposed election as the Chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a position that had been vacant since the General Elections of February 2024. Akbar’s appointment was supported by several senior party members, including Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, Senator Shibli Faraz, and a number of MNAs such as Riaz Fatiana, Malik Aamir Dogar, Wazhiya Qamar, and Sardar Muhammad Yousaf Zaman.
In a statement on X, Akbar expressed his gratitude for the new role, emphasizing his background as a middle-class individual who earned this position through hard work—a contrast to what he described as the leadership style of other political parties. “I am a middle-class person and I got this position because of hard work. Which is not found in other parties,” Akbar wrote.
Addressing reporters, Akbar reinforced PTI’s resilience. “Do not confuse our good faith with weakness. We want the rift between the public and institutions to be closed. We will not be scared or pressured, because we are not a party that can be scared or pressured,” he stated, outlining his commitment to the party’s mission.
Meanwhile, Salman Akram Raja also hinted that Aliya Hamza, another prominent PTI member, will be given a more significant role in the party’s future direction. “Imran Khan wants her to have a bigger role. We will have a meeting and decide what role to assign her,” Raja added.
With Akbar now at the helm in KP, PTI looks set to further consolidate its position in the province, as the party faces growing political challenges and seeks to strengthen its leadership structure amid the shifting dynamics in the region.
