Imran expels Farooq Bandiyal from PTI after criticism on social media

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has expelled Farooq Bandiyal from the party, the party confirmed via its official Twitter account, saying that “there is no place for convicted criminals in PTI.”
Earlier, the PTI chairman took strict notice of reports suggesting that a convicted criminal recently joined his party, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said.
The spokesman said that a one-member committee comprising Naeemul Haque had been constituted to probe the matter, which would present all the facts to the PTI chief within three days.
“Tehreek-e-Insaf will not compromise moral standards in any case,” Chaudhry said.

However, Haque took to Twitter within hours and said that Farooq Bandiyal’s entry into PTI was unfortunate and that he had been expelled from the party with immediate effect.

“We have no place for people with such record in our party. He should not even be in any political party,” the PTI leader said.

Earlier, severe criticism was meted out on social networking platforms over issuance of images of Farooq Bandiyal, a transporter from Khushab, joining the PTI.
Reports on social media alleged that Bandiyal had been involved in a robbery and rape at the residence of renowned actress Shabnam.
Bandiyal was also sentenced to death for his involvement in the robbery and rape case, during the reign of Zia-ul-Haq.
The case surfaced in 1978. The actress has her flick ‘Aina’ released around those days.
The suspects were also accused of a robbery at the residence of another actress Zamurd, among other crimes. They were later caught and sentenced to death by a military court.
However, Shabnam, through her lawyer SM Zafar, had appealed for reducing Bandiyal and other convicts’ punishment.
Two days, PTI chairman Imran Khan himself had included Bandiyal to PTI ranks by placing a party-coloured muffler on his shoulders.