Maryam Nawaz to Send Defamation Notice to Salik Hussain Over Punjab Corruption Claims
maryam-nawaz-salik-hussain-defamation-notice-november-2026
Punjab
defamation notice to Salik
Maryam Nawaz Defamation Notice to Salik
Maryam Nawaz defamation notice to Salik follows his TV claims of corruption in Punjab and his praise for Pervez Elahi.
Maryam Nawaz, Salik Hussain, Punjab, PML-Q, defamation notice, Gujrat, Azma Bokhari
verified update beyond the source item’s first version: the full Tuesday exchange is set out as a timeline, from Monday’s interview through Bokhari’s rebuttal to Maryam’s Attock speech and Salik’s reply.
https://www.dawn.com/news/2041860/cm-maryam-incensed-at-chaudhry-saliks-claims-of-corruption-in-punjab
3 November 2026
Publisher must verify a real photograph of Maryam Nawaz full-size before publish.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Tuesday that she would send a defamation notice to Salik, the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, after he alleged corruption in her government during a television interview on Monday.
Maryam made the announcement while addressing a ceremony in Attock on Tuesday. She said: “There is a federal minister … somebody sent me his statement about corruption in Punjab. Today, I am sending him a defamation notice.” She added that she would not hear “false allegations of corruption”, and said: “If you have evidence, bring it forth, otherwise I will drag you to court.” She also asked why Salik remained a minister in a government that he considered corrupt.
The row began on Monday, when Salik, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, appeared on a private television channel talk show. During the interview he praised former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. He also criticised the present provincial administration, alleging that political considerations were increasingly shaping development priorities and influencing the allocation of public funds. He said he regularly heard complaints of corruption in Punjab, and alleged that a disproportionate share of the province’s development budget was being channelled towards Lahore.
Defamation notice to Salik: the Gujrat claim behind the row
Maryam said the real reason for Salik’s anger was neither corruption nor progress. She said she had changed the deputy commissioner of Gujrat a few days ago, whereas Salik had wanted a deputy commissioner of his choice to be appointed. She said: “I will not allow anyone to interfere in the will of the people.”
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari had already made the same point in a sharp rebuttal after the interview, advising Salik not to “bite the hand that feeds him”. Bokhari also alleged that his displeasure stemmed from a request for the appointment of a deputy commissioner of his choice being turned down. The repetition of that claim, first by Bokhari and then by the chief minister herself, shows how the Punjab government wants the row to be understood: not as a debate about corruption, but as a dispute over an appointment.
Salik has not accepted that explanation. Speaking to the media after Maryam’s comments, he said he was sticking to his statement. In remarks aired by Geo News, he said: “God save us from pride and arrogance”. Asked about providing evidence for the corruption allegations, he said: “Please go and listen to the interview again.” He also refuted the claim that the row had to do with distracting from the matter of new provinces. He said: “It was an interview, someone asked a question and I responded honestly.” He added: “Yes, there definitely is [corruption].”
Maryam responded to those remarks directly. She said: “So, levelling false accusations is considered humility, while offering a response is deemed arrogance? Bravo.”
Elahi, Gujrat, and the politics behind the exchange
Maryam also took exception to Salik’s description of Elahi as the “best-ever chief minister” in Punjab. She recalled a visit to Gujrat about two years ago, when it was raining, and said the water reached her neck and her Land Cruiser was completely submerged. She said Gujrat then looked less like a city and more like a village, and that rainwater no longer accumulates there now. She added: “That work was not done by the Chaudhrys.”
That passage matters because it turns a dispute about corruption claims into a dispute about record. Elahi’s family has split politically since 2022: Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi aligned with the PTI, while PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s family, including Salik and his elder brother Shafay Hussain, a member of Maryam’s cabinet, stood with the Sharifs.
The row follows other Punjab and court news, including Punjab ending waste companies over dirt, the PHC larger bench on Afridi detention petitions, arrest warrants against CM Afridi upheld, and two Punjab DPOs removed over performance.
Frequently asked questions
What did Maryam Nawaz announce on Tuesday?
She said she would send a defamation notice to federal minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain over his allegations of corruption against her Punjab government.
What did Salik Hussain say on Monday?
In a television interview, he alleged that he regularly heard complaints of corruption in Punjab, that political considerations were shaping development priorities and fund allocation, and that a disproportionate share of the development budget went to Lahore. He also praised former chief minister Pervez Elahi.
What does Maryam say is the real reason for the row?
She said she changed the deputy commissioner of Gujrat a few days ago, whereas Salik had wanted a deputy commissioner of his choice appointed. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari made the same claim.
Has Salik withdrawn his statement?
No. After Maryam’s comments, he said he was sticking to his statement, said “God save us from pride and arrogance”, and when asked for evidence said: “Please go and listen to the interview again.”
What happens next?
Maryam said she would send the defamation notice on Tuesday. Salik has said he stands by his statement, so the next step depends on whether either side moves before any court proceedings begin.
