The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expelled renowned Pakistani musician Salman Ahmad, a close ally of the party’s founder Imran Khan, for posting controversial remarks about the former prime minister’s family.
A notification issued by the party stated that Ahmad’s actions had caused “division and discontent” among PTI members and supporters through “unwarranted and malicious posts” on social media. The party emphasized that it had repeatedly warned Ahmad to refrain from such behavior, with the Core Committee of PTI urging him to stop posting objectionable content.
Despite these warnings, the party claimed Ahmad continued to ignore the instructions of PTI’s founder and chairman. As a result, his basic membership was immediately terminated, and he was instructed to sever any affiliation with the party.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), PTI expressed that the decision to expel Ahmad was made after “careful consideration.” It condemned his recent social media activity, particularly his criticism of Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. The party stated that Ahmad’s attacks on the Khan family had deeply hurt many Pakistanis and were “completely unacceptable.” PTI also made it clear that it would not be responsible for any future posts or propaganda from Ahmad.
Salman Ahmad had been vocal in criticizing the handling of the PTI’s recent protest, accusing party leaders, including Bushra Bibi and Gandapur, of mismanagement and abandoning the protestors during their “final call” for Imran Khan’s release. This protest, which aimed to secure the release of Imran Khan—who has been imprisoned for over a year—ended abruptly last month, leading to the arrest of nearly 1,000 supporters and clashes that resulted in casualties.
The PTI claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed, while the government denied using live ammunition against the protesters.
