Internal divisions within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have intensified as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has reportedly asked provincial assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati to step down.

According to party sources, tensions between the chief minister and the speaker have escalated over the issue of resignation. Following the dismissal of several ministers, Gandapur sent a message to Speaker Swati, demanding his resignation — a request that was flatly refused.

Sources said Speaker Babar Saleem Swati responded by telling the chief minister, “I was appointed by the party’s founding chairman, not by you. I will only step down on his instructions.”

The speaker has also conveyed to Gandapur that he intends to meet the PTI’s founding chairman soon. Meanwhile, Swati has begun consultations with his group of assembly members and close associates, who have advised him to stand firm.

Speaker Swati has cancelled his planned foreign visit to focus on the evolving political situation in the province.