ISLAMABAD (The COW News Digital) Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has alleged that former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi was seeking approval from Afghanistan for a draft prepared during negotiations with the federal government.
Chaudhry said negotiations had begun on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and that the government had initially been hopeful of reaching a meaningful agreement.
According to the federal minister, a fourth draft was prepared during the negotiations and required approval from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. However, he claimed that, according to the information available to him, Afridi was seeking approval for the document from Afghanistan.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry did not provide further details or publicly disclose evidence supporting the allegation. The claim could not be independently verified from the information provided in the report.
Chaudhry said the federal government had entered the negotiation process with expectations that the discussions would produce a result. He suggested that progress had been made during the talks, with a draft agreement prepared for consideration.
He indicated that the negotiations could have reached a different outcome if outstanding issues had been resolved at that stage.
The minister’s remarks come amid political tensions between the federal government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), particularly over the party’s demands concerning its founder, Imran Khan, and the broader political situation in the country.
Referring to reports concerning opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Chaudhry said statements had appeared in the media indicating that no further progress could be made without a meeting with Imran Khan.
He said the negotiations had included a proposed timeframe for the meeting and what he described as a credible path towards a resolution.
According to Chaudhry, the outstanding matters might have been settled if the process had moved forward at that point. He suggested that the failure to resolve those issues had affected the course of subsequent developments.
The question of access to Imran Khan has remained a significant issue in PTI’s political engagement with the government, with the party linking progress on several matters to a meeting with its incarcerated founder.
Chaudhry also commented on the possibility of PTI lawmakers resigning from the assemblies. He claimed that if the party decided to resign, approximately 40 members would not submit their resignations.
The minister did not identify the lawmakers he was referring to or provide further details supporting his prediction.
His comments highlight the continuing political uncertainty surrounding PTI’s parliamentary strategy and its negotiations with the federal government.
The allegations regarding Afghanistan’s involvement in the draft approval process, along with the minister’s remarks about the negotiations and potential resignations, add another dimension to the ongoing political dispute. However, the claims remain attributed to Chaudhry and have not been independently established.
