CM Maryam sends Rs 5b legal notices to Salik Hussain, TV channel over corruption remarks

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has served a Rs5 billion defamation notice on Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, an ARY News anchor and the private television channel’s chairman, over allegations of widespread corruption in the province, demanding an unconditional apology, retraction of the statements and damages.

However, Salik Hussain, who belongs to a smaller allied party in the ruling coalition, has stood by his allegations, insisting that corruption was taking place in Punjab. 

He has also rejected the suggestion that his remarks were prompted by the appointment of a deputy commissioner on merit, maintaining that the interview had been recorded three weeks earlier.

“If you have proof, bring it forward; if not, I will drag you to court,” Maryam said during a laptop distribution ceremony, reiterating the allegation made a day earlier by Information Minister Azma Bukhari that the federal minister had effectively issued a charge sheet against the provincial government out of displeasure over the appointment of a deputy commissioner on merit.

A day earlier, Salik had acknowledged that he had indeed asked the government to appoint a deputy commissioner whose capabilities were better suited to executing mega projects.

During a talk show on a private television channel on Monday, Salik praised his paternal uncle, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for his tenure as Punjab chief minister from 2002 to 2007, saying he had overseen development across the province without political or personal bias.

“Chaudhry Pervez Elahi is the best chief executive Punjab has ever had,” he said, adding that the former chief minister had played a significant role in the province’s development and ensured that public projects were not influenced by political affiliations.

Salik also criticised the incumbent provincial government, alleging that political considerations were increasingly shaping development priorities and the allocation of public funds.

He said complaints about corruption in Punjab were commonplace, claiming that a disproportionate share of the provincial development budget was being spent in Lahore, while districts such as Gujrat, where candidates backed by the government had lost elections, were being overlooked in development planning.

Although Salik acknowledged that he did not possess evidence to substantiate his claims, he went on to say that corruption-related files had filled entire cupboards.

During the interview, the federal minister said: “I have no evidence, but I hear stories about corruption in Punjab every day.” He also remarked that “cupboards are filled with files on corruption cases in Punjab”.

The notices contend that Salik made sweeping allegations about corruption in Punjab without providing any evidence to substantiate them, damaging the reputation of the chief minister and the provincial administration.

According to the legal notice, the minister had referred to accounts of corruption in Punjab during the interview but failed to provide any documentary or verifiable evidence in support of his assertions.

The chief minister’s counsel said the remarks conveyed serious imputations that corruption was widespread in Punjab, that numerous corruption-related matters existed and that the provincial administration was burdened with a large volume of records relating to corruption.

The notice questioned the factual basis of Salik’s claims, asking which departments, public offices, officials, projects or transactions he was referring to, and whether his remarks were based on any complaints, inquiries, investigations or official records.

It said a federal minister was expected to appreciate the gravity and consequences of making such allegations against another constitutional government.

“The office of a federal minister is not a licence to circulate rumours, convert hearsay into apparent fact, or make sweeping accusations against another constitutional Government without identifying any credible factual basis,” the notice said.

It added that Salik had not identified a single authentic document, official inquiry, audit observation, investigation, complaint or other verifiable source to support his assertion that corruption-related files had filled entire cupboards in Punjab.

The notice argued that such sweeping remarks could create the impression among viewers that corruption was endemic throughout the provincial administration, rather than confined to isolated instances, and could not be shielded from legal scrutiny by describing them as political commentary.

The notices characterised the allegations as baseless, unverified and defamatory, arguing that Salik had failed to identify any specific incident, investigation or complaint during the interview to support his claims.

They also accused the programme host of broadcasting the allegations and facilitating discussion on the matter without first establishing their authenticity.

“The right to question a government cannot be converted into a right to manufacture or circulate damaging impressions without accepting responsibility for their factual basis,” the notice said, adding that the statements had crossed the permissible limits of responsible public discussion.

The chief minister maintained that the remarks had harmed the reputation of both herself and the Punjab government, prompting her to initiate legal proceedings against those responsible for making and broadcasting them.

Earlier, announcing her decision to issue the defamation notice, Maryam said she would not tolerate false allegations. She also challenged the federal minister to leave the government if he believed corruption was so widespread in Punjab.

She maintained that the actual issue was the appointment of a deputy commissioner in Gujrat rather than any development project. 

She said she did not entertain requests or recommendations in the appointment of deputy commissioners, commissioners and regional police officers, insisting that all such appointments were made strictly on merit. Those appointed through influence, she added, ended up harming the country.

Rejecting the federal minister’s assessment of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the best chief minister, Maryam said that when she assumed office, Gujrat resembled a village, with rainfall submerging the entire city and forcing people to travel not in cars but on trolleys.

Referring to her own visit to the city, she said she had undertaken development projects worth billions of rupees and could be held accountable for even a penny’s worth of corruption.

It is pertinent to mention that Salik Hussain’s brother, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, is also part of the provincial government and serves directly under Maryam Nawaz as Punjab’s minister for industries, commerce and investment.

Responding to the allegations against him, Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain said he had merely answered the interviewer’s questions honestly, reiterating his position that corruption existed in Punjab. 

However, he sidestepped questions about whether he possessed any evidence to support his allegations or whether he should leave the government if corruption was indeed taking place in the province.

Taking an indirect swipe at Maryam Nawaz, he said people holding powerful positions should remain humble.

“May Allah save people from pride and arrogance,” he added.

Bokhari’s rebuttal

The remarks also drew an immediate response from Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who suggested that Salik’s criticism stemmed from personal resentment over a favour being refused rather than a principled objection to the government’s policies.

She claimed that Salik had been displeased after his request to have a deputy commissioner of his choice appointed was turned down.

“Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz does not appoint deputy commissioners on anyone’s recommendation. She makes decisions strictly on merit and in line with the government’s policy,” Bokhari said.

Maintaining that the chief minister had ended the practice of political patronage, personal preferences and recommendations, she said influential individuals could no longer use their political connections to secure government appointments or administrative favours.

“There is no room for land grabbers and strongmen in Punjab anymore. The practice of rewarding employees of political estates with government positions through recommendations has also come to an end. Salik Hussain should not bite the hand that feeds him,” she retorted.

Bokhari also rejected Salik’s allegations of unequal development spending, saying Maryam Nawaz had ensured a transparent and equitable distribution of provincial resources, with similar development schemes being launched in cities across Punjab.

She said the sanitation model introduced in Lahore had also been extended to rural areas, arguing that the provincial government was pursuing development beyond the provincial capital instead of concentrating resources in one city.

Responding to Salik’s criticism of the use of official aircraft, Bokhari said Maryam Nawaz was the first Punjab chief minister to personally bear the expenses incurred through the use of the government aircraft.

She also cited an allocation of Rs12 billion for development projects in Gujrat, describing it as an unprecedented investment in the city’s history.