Lahore, January 16, 2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday declined to support former party leader Fawad Chaudhry’s National Dialogue Committee, stating he cannot “deviate from PTI’s policies.”
The senior PTI leader, incarcerated at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2023 over cases linked to the May 9 riots, made the remarks during an informal discussion with a journalist in a courtroom.
Responding to questions about a recent “consensual” meeting with Chaudhry, Qureshi said, “While I was in the hospital, he visited to inquire about my health. We both remained in a political party. How could I ask a guest why he came to meet me?” He recalled that last November, Chaudhry, along with Imran Ismail and Maulvi Mahmood, had tried to meet him in hospital to persuade him to join a ‘release Imran Khan campaign,’ a proposal he had rebuffed.
On the broader political situation, Qureshi emphasized that the country can only move forward through dialogue. “Resistance is followed by reconciliation,” he remarked. Regarding government-opposition talks, he stated that PTI’s incarcerated leader Imran Khan has authorised Mehmood Khan Achakzai to make decisions on dialogue, adding that as prisoners, they have limited information to act independently.
Qureshi also spoke on foreign policy, noting that Pakistan had consistently supported Kabul and demanded that Afghan soil not be used against Pakistan. He said, “If Afghan Taliban want stability, they have to maintain good relations with Pakistan. Their road to prosperity passes through us.” On Iran and India, he added that the situation at the Iran border was under control, but cautioned that “despite winning the war with India, the danger is not over yet.”
Last month, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) acquitted Qureshi in one of the May 9-related cases.
