PESHAWAR: Political differences within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deepened on Tuesday after provincial ministers Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Khan Tarakai resigned from the cabinet.
The move is seen as the outcome of strained relations between Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and senior party leaders Asad Qaiser and Shahram Khan Tarakai.
Aqibullah Khan, holding portfolio of Irrigation, and Faisal Khan Tarakai, holding portfolio of Elementary and Secondary Education, are the younger brothers of Asad Qaiser and Shahram Tarakai, respectively.
Sources close to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur told The News he had long decided to change portfolios of some cabinet members, including Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Khan Tarakai, but postponed the idea after a meeting with Asad Qaiser and Shahram Tarakai that helped ease mistrust.
”Both Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Tarakai were regarded as among the most disciplined members of the cabinet, but since their brothers were in the rival camp of Chief Minister, they were never fully welcomed in the government. It was bound to happen one day, and it happened finally”, a PTI office-bearer told The News on condition of anonymity.
According to party sources, Ali Amin Gandapur suddenly took the decision on Monday after a meeting with party founding chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Adiala Jail.
“The first thing Chief Minister did after coming out of Adiala Jail was to approach Aqibullah Khan and Faisal Tarakai to meet him in Islamabad. He told them Khan Sahib (Imran Khan) had received complaints about both of them and was not satisfied with their performance”, said a party leader privy to details of the meeting.
According to the sources, Chief Minister offered them the option to stay in the cabinet, but with different portfolios.
“Before going to the meeting, the two ministers had sensed Chief Minister’s intentions were not good and that he might change their portfolios. They decided instead to offer their resignations rather than stay in the cabinet and face such pressure every three or four months”, said the party leader.
Both of them thanked Ali Amin Gandapur and politely asked him since they had been working together, if he had any proof of corruption charges or their involvement in illegal activities, he should explain so they could clarify their positions.
The two former ministers, before their resignations, had also told Chief Minister he should have explained their position to Imran Khan, saying they were surprised as to how Imran Khan had received complaints only against them.
In their resignation letters, issued separately on September 30 and addressed to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Faisal Khan Tarakai and Aqibullah Khan wrote they had been honoured to serve in provincial cabinet on the trust of PTI founder Imran Khan. Faisal Tarakai, who was holding portfolio of Elementary and Secondary Education, stated he had worked with commitment to ensure transparency and merit in education sector.
Aqibullah Khan, who was serving as Minister for Irrigation, said he had strived to reform the department in line with Imran Khan’s vision. Both reiterated in their letters they remained committed to PTI as workers and loyal to leadership of Imran Khan.
According to the party leadership, both Asad Qaiser Khan and Shahram Tarakai decided not to make it an issue and preferred to continue their struggle for the release of Imran Khan while extending support to provincial government.
“There are some troublemakers in the party who wanted to instigate the two influential party leaders from Swabi against Ali Amin, but they refused to become part of any conspiracy against Chief Minister and his government, saying they would never like to cause damage or embarrassment to Imran Khan and his party”, a senior PTI leader from Malakand region told The News.
According to insiders, the mistrust between Ali Amin Gandapur and Asad Qaiser and Shahram Tarakai started when Junaid Akbar Khan replaced Ali Amin as provincial president of PTI in January 2025.
“Though Asad Qaiser and Shahram Tarakai had organised a major public rally in Swabi when Ali Amin was the party president in KP, they again worked together and held a massive event in Swabi when Junaid Akbar took over the party earlier this year. It was a turning point as Ali Amin allegedly felt they had intentionally organised such a big gathering without government’s support to prove Junaid Akbar was more popular than him”, the PTI leader said.
He said Asad Qaiser and Shahram Tarakai continued supporting Ali Amin and his government and tried to remove his misconceptions about them.
“In the meantime, they had developed good relations, and we believed they were no longer in rival camps. However, the recent public rally in Peshawar again created problems”, the party leader said.
He said the Peshawar rally was a flop show that drew criticism from party leaders and workers, which apparently annoyed Chief Minister, who allegedly felt PTI leaders in KP had not played an effective role in mobilising supporters for the rally.
When contacted, Asad Qaiser and Shahram Tarakai confirmed resignations of their brothers, but avoided comment.
This correspondent also tried to approach Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for his version, but he declined to comment.
