Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confirmed that Junaid Akbar will remain president of its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, while Senator Noorul Haq Qadri will preside over provincial party meetings during Akbar’s absence.
The arrangement was announced through a notification issued on Saturday by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, following uncertainty over the party’s provincial leadership.
Akbar’s whereabouts have remained unknown since he was taken into preventive custody alongside other political figures following the federal government’s imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11.
His absence had prompted discussions within the party over temporary leadership arrangements. Reports indicated that more than 50 members of the provincial assembly met on October 14 and supported former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur for the position of acting provincial president.
The notification, however, maintained Akbar’s position and established an arrangement for conducting party meetings without replacing him.
The decision provides formal direction for PTI’s provincial organisation at a time when its leadership is dealing with political and administrative uncertainty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
It also clarifies the distinction between holding the office of provincial president and carrying out meeting-related responsibilities during the officeholder’s absence.
The party has not announced a permanent change in the provincial presidency. Akbar remains the designated head of PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa organisation under the latest notification.