LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf finds itself embroiled in yet another controversy on Saturday as new entrant Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa snubbed its information secretary, Fawad Chaudhry, for stating that his (Khosa’s) son cannot join the party.

Mr Chaudhry has said Dost Muhammad Khosa, who has been Punjab chief minister during the PML-N government in 2018 as a stopgap arrangement, has not been taken into the party folds because of his “blemished past”.

Sardar Khosa and his grandsons had joined the party on Friday, when PTI chairman Imran Khan visited them at their Lahore residence.

The party had recently been mired in a controversy over Shabnam case convict Farooq Bandial joining it. However, Mr Bandial was later removed from the party following social media backlash.

Fawad Chaudhry, who is also PTI spokesman, told the media persons that Dost Khosa had not been allowed into the party for his alleged involvement in the “disappearance” of an actress.

Dost Khosa was conspicuous by his absence when his father announced joining the PTI in the presence of chairman Imran Khan.

Junior Khosa has yet not explain his position.

Mr Chaudhry’s statement annoyed the senior Khosa who said, “Who is Fawad Chaudhry?” He asserted that he had joined the party along with his son.

A fuming Zulfiqar Khosa said he would see those trying to create fuss over his family’s joining the PTI.

“When Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi did not object, no one else should try to create a controversy,” Mr Khosa claimed.

Meanwhile, PTI’s former chief whip in the National Assembly Ms Shireen Mazari came to rescue Fawad Chaudhry, tweeting “PTI leadership in Islamabad decides, who will be welcomed into the party and who will not. 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”.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2018