Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday terminated the party membership of Faisal Vawda after the latter held a press conference which went "against party views".
A tweet by PTI's official handle stated that "Chairman PTI Imran Khan has terminated the basic membership of Faisal Vawda from the party."
At the press conference, which took place on October 26, Vawda said the establishment had no role in the death of Arshad Sharif, while earlier PTI Chairman Imran Khan had claimed it was an incident of “target killing.”
Imran Khan claims Arshad Sharif was a victim of ‘target killing'
Vawda stated that "people behind this conspiracy want bloodshed in Pakistan,” he claimed.
Faisal Vawda claims Arshad Sharif’s murder 'planned in Pakistan'
“He was in touch with the establishment and ready to come back to Pakistan,” he added.
Vawda also claimed that the PTI’s upcoming long march to Islamabad would be a “bloody” one with the deaths of innocent people.
“Imran Khan’s peaceful march is our right but I’m clearly telling you I’m seeing blood, deaths and funerals in this march.”
Vawda went on to say that he would not allow innocent people to “die for some conspiracy and I will try that this game of [dead] bodies comes to an end”.
He maintained that the PTI’s “justified” march had become part of a conspiracy.
“The powerful personalities who are part of this conspiracy are not far from me. Today I’m standing with truth and justice. I will continue to stand with Pakistanis who are about to die in the coming days. Important personalities and many bodies are about to fall in the coming days.”
Right after the press conference, PTI leader Asad Umar said Vawda's statement does not represent party policy and views.
"PTI Sindh President has been told on the instructions of the chairman Imran Khan to issue show cause notice to Faisal for violating party policy," he stated on Twitter.
Subsequently, Vawda was issued a show-cause notice and his party membership suspended.
Following the press conference, addressing the matter on Twitter, Vawda said “let my opponents do whatever they want, I stand by what I have said for Arshad Sharif, I have given a true advice to my party, I have said before and I am still saying that some conspirators are on our peace march.”
He stressed that innocent people can be made scapegoats, “what is against party policy in this?”