ISLAMABAD – 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.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the talks had begun on the prime minister’s instructions and the government had been optimistic about achieving a breakthrough. He made these remarks during an interview with a local private TV.
Sohail Afridi is detained since the day the local authorities imposed governor rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said a fourth draft had been prepared during the negotiations and was supposed to be approved by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. However, according to information available to him, Afridi was seeking Afghanistan’s approval for the document.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also referred to media reports concerning Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who had reportedly maintained that no progress could be made without meeting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
The minister said the negotiations had included a timeframe for the proposed meeting and a concrete solution to the issues under discussion.
He added that the situation might have been different if the matters had been resolved at that stage.
Commenting on the possibility of PTI lawmakers resigning from the assemblies, Chaudhry claimed that around 40 members would not submit their resignations even if the party decided to withdraw its lawmakers from the legislatures.