Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan has said that the change of chief minister in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was inevitable under the province’s circumstances, warning that any outside interference would be met with strong protests.
In a message from Adiala Jail posted on X on Thursday, the PTI founder said the change of chief minister was unavoidable and it is a constitutional process that takes place in other provinces of the country as well.
“No one should interfere so that this process can be completed as soon as possible. If anyone attempts to intervene, there will be robust protest,” warned Imran.
He said the selection of Sohail Afridi reflected the long association of Afridi with student politics, the ISF and the PTI’s ideology, and that the decision reinforced the party’s narrative of including grassroots workers in decision-making instead of relying only on electables.
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Imran rejected suggestions linking the provincial chief minister’s change to his family members, calling such claims “completely false”. “This was a wholly political decision in which no member of my family had any influence. No family member 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 terrorism incidents, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cannot bear this situation any longer,” he said, adding his hope that the new chief minister and his team would work with elected representatives to adopt a comprehensive policy aimed at eliminating terrorism and ensuring durable peace.
Imran said he has been enunciating a clear strategy to combat terrorism for two decades and, by following the strategy, PTI government had controlled the menace of terrorism to a great extent during its three-and-a-half-year rule.
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He said the party had engaged in talks with the then-Ashraf Ghani government and reached an understanding with tribal communities and Afghan refugees through dialogue.
He criticised recent claims that contemporary terrorism in the country was the result of militants allegedly settled during his government, calling the accusation “utterly false”.
Imran further alleged that politically motivated cases were being continually and repeatedly filed against him. “Baseless cases — large and small — have been lodged 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.
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