PTI sacks Salman Ahmad for 'posting against Imran Khan's family'

• PTI dissociates itself from Ahmad's statements.
• Says musician defied instructions of PTI founder.
• Ahmad asked "never to show any affiliation with PTI".

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has terminated the basic membership of Salman Ahmad, a veteran Pakistani musician and close aide of PTI founder, for posting against incarcerated former premier Imran Khan's family.  

The former ruling party issued a notification of his termination which blamed Ahmad for "sowing division and discontent" among the party members and supporters through "unwarranted and scurrilous posts" on social media.

It added that the party "had dissociated itself from your conduct and statements and had warned you about the consequences of your conduct".

"You had been consistently asked, inter alia, through press releases issued by the Core Committee of PTI to desist from posting those objectionable posts."

"And whereas you continued to defy the instructions of the Founder Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf despite repeated warnings to the contrary," it added.

Notifying his expulsion from the PTI with immediate effect, the party asked the activist "never to show any affiliation with the PTI".

'Completely unacceptable'

In a statement on its official X handle, the former ruling party said the basic membership of Ahmad was terminated after "careful consideration".

"His recent social media activity and attacks on Chairman Imran Khan’s family has deeply hurt sentiments of many Pakistanis, this behavior is completely unacceptable," the party added. 

Therefore, his basic membership is terminated and he is being expelled from the party with immediate effect, the PTI said adding that the party will not be responsible for any of his future social media posts or propaganda.

The renowned guitarist had sharply criticised PTI founder's wife Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in some of his posts on X, blaming them for mismanagement and accusing them of fleeing the scene during the party's "final call" protest last month.

The former ruling party's much-hyped protest in Islamabad, aimed at securing Imran's release who has been behind bars for more than a year, had ended abruptly last month with nearly 1,000 supporters being arrested by authorities.

The PTI and coalition government traded blame for the violence during the much-hyped protest that left four law enforcers dead in Islamabad.

The Imran Khan-founded party has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and over 1,000 were arrested. However, the government has categorically denied using live ammunition against the protesters.