DJ Butt no longer PTI favourite, party invites quotations for October rally

ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Asif aka DJ Butt, the man behind pulling the youth to the dharna nights during the 126-day long protest sit-in of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at D-Chowk last year, seems to have lost ‘craze’ for the PTI leadership as he has not been invited for showing his musical skills in the public rally scheduled to be held on October 4 in the capital city.

The sources said PTI would invite quotations from the interested sound groups for its October 4 public rally and lowest bidder would be selected for sound system that has become ‘trademark’ of PTI’s rallies and public meetings.

“DJ Butt met PTI Chairman Imran Khan on September 15 and offered him his services for the October 4 rally. The PTI chairman warmly greeted him after which another PTI leader acknowledged his role during the protest sit-in at D-Chowk,” the sources said.

They said that PTI is unhappy of the behavior of DJ Butt who created a ‘scene’ on alleged non-payment of his dues for his services during the dharna, adding “PTI will replace him with other one for upcoming public rally in Islamabad.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the popular entertainer DJ Butt threatened to go to court over long unpaid dues worth 80 million against PTI that later on agreed on a formula for payment of liabilities for sound engineering services provided during the protest sit-in at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.

When contacted, DJ Butt told ‘The News’ that it is up to the PTI leadership whether or not it seeks his services for October 4 public rally but he is still ‘tiger of Imran Khan’ and would participate in the rally as a worker.

“If PTI invites quotations for provision of sound system and other allied services for the public rally then I will certainly participate in the process. Most of the people think me an integral part of the PTI rallies but I want to make it clear that decisions are only taken by the PTI leadership,” he said.

To a question, he said when he met PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the recent past he greeted him warmly, adding “Even no one from PTI showed any reaction over the row that unfortunately appeared over non-payment of dues.”

Talking to ‘The News’, PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq said first of all he wants to make it clear that no decision has been taken to use container for October 4 public rally because they would prepare a stage for PTI chairman and other party leaders.

To a question, he said their party has so far not decided whether to invite DJ Butt for the upcoming public rally, adding, “The decision regarding sound system for the public rally will be taken in the coming days.”

This story was originally published in The News and may be accessed here