Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has challenged Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain to provide evidence supporting his corruption allegations against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz or apologise for making what she described as baseless claims.
Reacting to Salik’s recent remarks, Bokhari said that he was a federal minister and part of the government, arguing that making serious allegations without presenting evidence was inappropriate for someone holding public office. She urged him to respond to the legal notice issued by Maryam Nawaz and substantiate his claims with verifiable information.
Bokhari also questioned Salik’s statements regarding an alleged recommendation for the appointment of the deputy commissioner in Gujrat. She claimed that the federal minister had previously acknowledged making the recommendation but later presented a different position. She criticised what she described as contradictory statements and said he should be held accountable for his remarks.
The provincial information minister further claimed that Salik’s own brother had rejected his allegations. She maintained that changing his position would not remove his responsibility and reiterated that he should either provide evidence or apologise.
Defending the Punjab government’s performance, Bokhari said Maryam Nawaz had initiated and completed development projects worth trillions of rupees during her two years in office. She also claimed that critics had not established corruption involving even a single rupee against the chief minister.
Bokhari pointed out that Chaudhry Salik had acknowledged during his earlier remarks that he did not possess direct evidence to support his corruption-related allegations. Her comments came amid an escalating political dispute between Punjab’s provincial leadership and the federal minister.
The controversy intensified after Maryam Nawaz issued a legal notice to Salik over his statements concerning alleged corruption and development spending in Punjab. The exchange has brought renewed attention to the disagreement between the political figures, with Bokhari insisting that the allegations must be supported by evidence or withdrawn.
