in 1972, as the opposition leader, wali khan was contacted by zulfikar ali bhutto, who wanted to lift martial law and set up a new constitution. wali khan's negotiations with zulfiqar ali bhutto led to the nap signing of an agreement with the government in 1972, called the tripartite agreement. the agreement led to the lifting of martial law and removal of the ban on the national awami party. this led to the formation of national awami party coalition provincial governments in the north-west frontier province and baluchistan. despite the initial positive start, the agreement rapidly began to unravel due to the growing animosity between khan and bhutto.