Peshawar — A fresh political controversy erupted Tuesday as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and advisor to the Prime Minister, Ikhtiar Wali, alleged that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has attempted to resign twice due to mounting “mental stress and depression.”
Wali’s claims come amid ongoing friction between the provincial government and the federal center, with the PML-N leader suggesting that the PTI-led provincial administration is buckling under the pressure of its own governance challenges.
“Gandapur has reached a point where he cannot handle the administrative burden of the province,” Wali told local media. He claimed the Chief Minister had drafted his resignation on two separate occasions, citing personal frustration and the inability to manage the province’s financial and security crises.
The PTI camp dismissed the remarks as a desperate attempt to deflect from the federal government’s own failures. PTI provincial spokespersons labeled the statement “baseless propaganda,” insisting that Gandapur remains fully committed to his post and continues to lead the provincial cabinet without hesitation.
This isn’t the first time the political stability of the KP government has been questioned. Since taking office, Gandapur has faced a series of high-stakes standoffs with Islamabad, ranging from electricity load-shedding protests to security funding disputes.
The political climate in Peshawar remains volatile. While the PML-N continues to hammer the narrative of a fractured provincial leadership, the PTI maintains that these reports are part of a broader strategy to destabilize the only major province currently under their control.
Whether these claims of resignation hold any weight remains a matter of intense speculation in political circles. For now, the Chief Minister’s office has opted to let the work speak for itself — though the pressure on Gandapur to navigate the province through its current fiscal squeeze is only intensifying.
