Imran Khan had no objection over Dost Khosa’s inclusion in PTI: Zulfiqar

— Party leadership in Islamabad alone decides who to welcomed in PTI, responds Shireen Mazari

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Responding to Fawad Chaudhry’s clarification that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had decided against including Dost Muhammad Khosa over his involvement in actress Sapna murder case, party’s newcomer Zulfiqar Khosa on Saturday said both him and his son joined PTI simultaneously.

Zulfiqar, who is a former PML-N member and ex-governor of Punjab, said his son Dost Khosa was unable to attend the meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan as he was in DG Khan.

He further claimed that Imran had no objection over Dost Khosa’s inclusion in the PTI.

“There is no similarity in Farooq Bandiyal and Dost Khosa’s cases,” said Zulfiqar, adding that the latter had only divorced his former wife due to irreconcilable differences. “It is not a crime to get a divorce.”

The newly-inducted party member claimed that a case was made against Dost at the behest of Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz.

“Fawad Chaudhry’s statement does not matter,” he said.

On the other hand, PTI’s Shireen Mazari made it clear that only the party’s leadership in Islamabad had the authority to decide who will be welcomed into PTI. “It is not up to new entrants to assume if they have been welcomed their whole family will also be assumed to have joined PTI. Murderers and rapist can never be members of PTI,” she tweeted.

On Friday, PTI inducted disgruntled PML leader Zulfiqar Khosa into the party while denying entry to his son, Dost Muhammad Khosa, after receiving criticism on social media.

“I am happy with the inclusion of Zulfiqar Khosa,” said PTI chief Imran Khan while welcoming him to the party in Lahore.

Earlier, it was being reported that both, the father and son, had joined the PTI; however, PTI Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry denied Dost Khosa’s inclusion in the first place.

“The PTI has not included Dost Khosa in the party due to certain allegations on him,” Chaudhry told media persons.

In 2012, then MPA and provincial minister Dost Khosa had resigned from both positions after the LHC had charged him in the case pertaining to the kidnapping and murder of actress Sapna Khan.

Actress Sapna was the former wife of Dost Khosa and daughter of Missal Khan who had accused the former Punjab chief minister of kidnapping and murdering Sapna while Khosa levelled the same allegation at his former wife’s family.

This was the second time PTI came under flak for opening its ranks to controversial politicians as the party had to expel a convicted rapist, Farooq Bandial, hours after his inclusion following the criticism it received over Bandial’s criminal past.

Bandial, who hails from Punjab’s Khushab district, was handed a death sentence by a Special Military Court in 1979 for committing “armed dacoity” at the house of film actress Shabnam in Gulberg area of Lahore.

Bandial had joined PTI after meeting party chairman Imran Khan. The photo of the meeting made rounds on social media in which Bandial can be seen standing next to the PTI chairman. Hours after the news broke of him joining the party, a large number of people took to social media to criticise PTI for accepting a “convicted criminal” into the party’s ranks.