Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has agreed to let his brother Faisal Amin Gandapur run for the National Assembly seat from Dera Ismail Khan that he won in the February 8 general elections.
The KP chief minister, who also serves as the head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) provincial chapter, said that his brother will run in by-elections from the NA-44 constituency, which he vacated after winning the PK-113 Dera Ismail Khan-III seat.
In a video statement released on Friday, the chief minister stated that he informed party founder Imran Khan of his decision to hand over the coveted KP seat ticket to his brother after Gandapur enquired about his plans to “adjust” his brother’s position in the province cabinet.
“He did not know that my brother was yet to contest the elections,” he added.
The KP chief minister stated that he won two seats in the February 8 general elections, one of which he kept and one of which he gave up.
The PTI KP president informed Khan that his brother will run for office and then move to the National Assembly if he wins.
Gandapur, who defeated Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman, took the oath of office as chief minister on March 2 after the PTI founder approved his nomination for the top provincial post.
He was elected as the province’s 18th chief minister with 90 votes in the KP Assembly, while his opponent, Dr. Ibadullah Khan, received 16 votes.Meanwhile, his brother Faisal will run for the Lower House of Parliament in the next by-elections on April 21. He formerly served as a provincial minister in KP and a member of the KP government’s Wildlife and Biodiversity Board.
