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‘I stand by it’: Chaudhry Salik sticks to Punjab corruption claims despite Maryam's ire

Source: dawn.com Published Wed, 11 Nov 2026 22:12:12 +0500

Why This Matters

Key context: Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Wednesday asserted that he stood by his claims regarding corruption in Punjab. Last week, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041860">sent a Rs5 billion defamation notice</a> to Hussain for levelling allegations of corruption against her government and demanded that he retract his remarks. “Reality is reality. I stand by it and will continue to,” he said on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ while responding to a question about his brother Shafay Hussain being a minister in the same Punjab government he had criticised. Salik said he did not think about hesitating to make the remarks because of this connection. The PML-Q leader further said he would present evidence for his accusations before the court when furnishing his response to CM Maryam’s defamation notice. “Making statements about dragging someone to court does not suit a politician,” he regretted, while referring to the Punjab CM’s remarks. In response to a question, Salik said he had not been contacted by any government official or PML-N after the incident; except for an earlier meeting with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar during which he explained the context. However, the latest “below-the-belt” <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2043500/political-narratives-and-allegations-have-a-limited-shelf-life-cm-maryam-says">remarks</a> by Maryam and earlier responses by her <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041737">minister</a> worsened the row. <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2043500/political-narratives-and-allegations-have-a-limited-shelf-life-cm-maryam-says'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2043500" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> On CM Maryam’s demand for him to resign from the ministry, the minister noted that his party was a coalition partner of the government under an arrangement and recalled Maryam was not even present during meetings at that time. However, the PML-Q leader said it was up to the PML-N if it considered it no longer needed coalition partners. In her <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041860">Nov 3 speech</a>, the Punjab CM had claimed that Salik’s anger stemmed from neither corruption nor progress; rather, the issue was that she had changed the deputy commissioner of Gujrat a few days earlier, whereas Salik allegedly wanted a DC of his choice to be appointed. Asked about this on the show, Salik said: “We had very good working coordination with the former Gujrat deputy commissioner (DC), who had been working for the past 1.5 years. “When DCs were being appointed 1.5 years ago, we asked that the official should be experienced in construction and urban development, as the development projects in the region were facing delays.” However, after the appointment of the new DC, we did not raise any objection, he clarified. The PML-Q further argued that his interview in Lahore was recorded on Sept 25 — rather than earlier this month when the remarks <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.facebook.com/arynewsud/videos/%D9%BE%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%81%D9%B0%DB%8C-%D9%86%DB%92%D9%BE%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8-%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%BE-%D9%84%D9%81%D9%B9-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D8%A7%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%A6%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A8-%D9%86%DB%81%DB%8C%DA%BA-%D8%B3%D8%A8-%DA%A9%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%DB%81%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%81%D8%A7%D8%AA%DA%BE%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84%DA%A9-%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86arynews/1864393624831610/">surfaced</a> — while the DC was appointed on Oct 31. “The Punjab chief minister made these remarks based on incorrect information,” Salik said. The minister also regretted the withdrawal of his security by the provincial government after the incident. He said that the Punjab government had deployed Elite Force officials at his Gujrat residence; however, after the incident, they were ordered to report back to the Police Lines. <h2><a id="what-did-salik-say" href="#what-did-salik-say" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>What did Salik say?</h2> During a talk show on a private television channel, the PML-Q leader <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041737">praised</a> the performance of his uncle <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1811530">Chaudhry Pervez Elahi</a> as a former Punjab chief minister, further criticising the incumbent provincial administration headed by CM Maryam and alleging that he regularly heard complaints of corruption. He also questioned lavish government <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2028993">spending</a>, particularly the use of an <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2030746">official aircraft</a>, arguing that public representatives should remain mindful of the country’s economic difficulties. He said officials using government aircraft should be required to demonstrate the tangible outcomes and public benefits of their trips. He also called for greater ministerial accountability, proposing that federal and provincial ministers should be empowered to perform their duties while also being held accountable for their performance. Salik’s remarks carry particular political significance given the fractured relationship between the Chaudhry family and the PTI leadership. <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/1806180'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1806180" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> Salik, the younger son of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, belongs to a family whose political loyalties have diverged sharply since the ouster of Imran Khan’s government in 2022 through a no-confidence vote. While Elahi and his son, former federal minister Moonis Elahi, aligned themselves with the PTI, the Shujaat family chose to stand with the Sharifs. Salik’s elder brother, Shafay Hussain, is also part of CM Maryam’s cabinet in Punjab. This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Wednesday asserted that he stood by his claims regarding corruption in Punjab. Last week, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz sent a Rs5 billion defamation notice to Hussain for levelling allegations of corruption against her government and demanded that he retract his remarks. “Reality is reality. I stand by it and will continue to,” he said on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ while responding to a question about his brother Shafay Hussain being a minister in the same Punjab government he had criticised. Salik said he did not think about hesitating to make the remarks because of this connection. The PML-Q leader further said he would present evidence for his accusations before the court when furnishing his response to CM Maryam’s defamation notice. “Making statements about dragging someone to court does not suit a politician,” he regretted, while referring to the Punjab CM’s remarks. In response to a question, Salik said he had not been contacted by any government official or PML-N after the incident; except for an earlier meeting with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar during which he explained the context. However, the latest “below-the-belt” remarks by Maryam and earlier responses by her minister worsened the row. On CM Maryam’s demand for him to resign from the ministry, the minister noted that his party was a coalition partner of the government under an arrangement and recalled Maryam was not even present during meetings at that time. However, the PML-Q leader said it was up to the PML-N if it considered it no longer needed coalition partners. In her Nov 3 speech, the Punjab CM had claimed that Salik’s anger stemmed from neither corruption nor progress; rather, the issue was that she had changed the deputy commissioner of Gujrat a few days earlier, whereas Salik allegedly wanted a DC of his choice to be appointed. Asked about this on the show, Salik said: “We had very good working coordination with the former Gujrat deputy commissioner (DC), who had been working for the past 1.5 years. “When DCs were being appointed 1.5 years ago, we asked that the official should be experienced in construction and urban development, as the development projects in the region were facing delays.” However, after the appointment of the new DC, we did not raise any objection, he clarified. The PML-Q further argued that his interview in Lahore was recorded on Sept 25 — rather than earlier this month when the remarks surfaced — while the DC was appointed on Oct 31. “The Punjab chief minister made these remarks based on incorrect information,” Salik said. The minister also regretted the withdrawal of his security by the provincial government after the incident. He said that the Punjab government had deployed Elite Force officials at his Gujrat residence; however, after the incident, they were ordered to report back to the Police Lines. What did Salik say? During a talk show on a private television channel, the PML-Q leader praised the performance of his uncle Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as a former Punjab chief minister, further criticising the incumbent provincial administration headed by CM Maryam and alleging that he regularly heard complaints of corruption. He also questioned lavish government spending, particularly the use of an official aircraft, arguing that public representatives should remain mindful of the country’s economic difficulties. He said officials using government aircraft should be required to demonstrate the tangible outcomes and public benefits of their trips. He also called for greater ministerial accountability, proposing that federal and provincial ministers should be empowered to perform their duties while also being held accountable for their performance. Salik’s remarks carry particular political significance given the fractured relationship between the Chaudhry family and the PTI leadership. Salik, the younger son of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, belongs to a family whose political loyalties have diverged sharply since the ouster of Imran Khan’s government in 2022 through a no-confidence vote. While Elahi and his son, former federal minister Moonis Elahi, aligned themselves with the PTI, the Shujaat family chose to stand with the Sharifs. Salik’s elder brother, Shafay Hussain, is also part of CM Maryam’s cabinet in Punjab.

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