ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Wednesday advised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz against playing the “woman card” in politics.
Speaking on Geo News programme “Capital Talk”, the minister said: “If you are in politics, then do not play the woman card.”
The minister said that the CM’s remarks about him were inappropriate for a person holding public office.
Hussain said that the CM had issued the statement because of misinformation. He also made it clear that he would not withdraw his earlier statement concerning corruption in Punjab, insisting that what he had said was “based on facts”.
“I will never withdraw my statement because it is the truth,” Hussain said.
Referring to his earlier remarks about corruption, the federal minister said there should have been zero tolerance for the menace from the very first day.
He added that corruption had not come to an end following his statement; rather, it had become more visible.
“Corruption has not ended after my statement; it has come out more openly,” he said.
Hussain also advised the Punjab CM to seek guidance from her father on how to respond when someone points out an issue.
“She should ask her father how one should respond when someone points out something,” he said.
The minister further alleged that an attempt had previously been made to remove his father, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, from the presidency of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Responding to a question about the matter, Hussain said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had not contacted him regarding the controversy.
Rana questions Salik’s remarks
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah described Hussain as a “gentleman” and an honourable man, but suggested that he had been influenced by claims circulating among people he associates with.
Rana said people in Hussain’s social circles might be discussing theories about alleged developments, adding that the minister may have heard such claims during gatherings.
“I know the people he associates with, which is why he may have heard these things from them,” Rana said.
He said it was inappropriate for a federal minister, whose brother also serves as a provincial minister, to make remarks suggesting that files were being prepared against people.
“We have heard such claims in every era — that files are being prepared and everything is being recorded. But no evidence has ever emerged,” he said.
Rana added that he believed Hussain had made the remarks after being influenced by such claims.
He said Punjab CM Maryam was justified in responding to Hussain’s remarks, adding that her response had been courageous.
“My conscience tells me that only someone who is speaking the truth can respond with such confidence,” he said.
Rana said no one could claim that corruption had been completely eliminated at the lower levels of government, including among police station officers, patwaris and clerks.
He added, however, that the Punjab chief minister had never claimed that corruption at the grassroots level had been eradicated.
Referring to the federal minister’s interview, Rana said his remarks had been directed at the provincial government and the chief minister.
Citing the case of Mahmood Qadir Leghari, Rana described the allegations as an attempt to gain attention.
He said Leghari was a close relative of Federal Minister Awais Leghari and had approached him two or three times seeking a party ticket for a by-election.
Rana said it was unfair of Leghari to make such allegations and record a video without first raising the matter with the prime minister, the Punjab chief minister, Awais Leghari or him.
“Now that he has made allegations against a deed writer and the DPO, he should provide evidence,” Rana said.
He added that if Leghari produced evidence, action would certainly be taken against the deed writer and the district police officer.
Rana said such claims could influence people like Hussain, prompting them to repeat similar allegations.
“People sit among us with their own interests and keep making up stories to serve those interests. There is no guarantee that such stories or claims have any truth to them,” he said.
The controversy
The latest development follows a public dispute that erupted after Hussain criticised the Punjab government’s governance and alleged widespread corruption in the province during an interview with a private television channel.
The PML-Q leader had praised his paternal uncle, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, describing him as the best chief executive Punjab had ever had.
He also alleged that political considerations were influencing development priorities and the allocation of public funds, claiming that a disproportionate share of Punjab’s development budget was being channelled towards Lahore while other districts were being overlooked.
Hussain said he regularly heard accounts of corruption in the province, adding that there were so many alleged corruption-related files that they could fill entire cupboards.
He acknowledged that he did not possess documentary evidence to substantiate the claims but maintained that corruption was taking place.
Maryam subsequently announced legal action against the federal minister, challenging him to produce evidence or face proceedings. She also questioned why he continued to serve in a government he considered corrupt.
The chief minister linked the controversy to the appointment of the deputy commissioner in Gujrat, alleging that Hussain was unhappy because an officer of his choice had not been appointed.
Hussain, however, rejected the suggestion that his remarks were prompted by the appointment, saying the interview had been recorded weeks earlier.
Maryam later served a Rs5 billion defamation notice on Hussain, as well as a news anchor and a television channel’s chairman, demanding a retraction, an unconditional apology and damages over the remarks.
The notice accused them of making and broadcasting sweeping, unsubstantiated allegations that had damaged the reputation of the chief minister and the provincial administration.
Hussain has maintained his position on the corruption issue and said he would respond through the appropriate legal process.
The controversy has also drawn attention to the position of his brother Shafay, who serves in Maryam’s provincial cabinet.
Shafay had earlier said he stood by his younger brother and would not distance himself from him, adding that Hussain had his own independent views.
The two brothers belong to the PML-Q, led by their father Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, whose family’s political alignments have diverged in recent years.
While Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi aligned themselves with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shujaat Hussain’s sons Hussain and Shafay have remained aligned with the Sharif-led political camp.
