Punjab Minister Shafay Hussain has distanced himself from his younger brother Salik Hussain following corruption allegations against the provincial government, reaffirming his support for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari said the provincial government had no plans to remove Shafay Hussain from the cabinet, citing his recent public statements in support of the chief minister.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bokhari said Shafay had rejected the allegations levelled by his brother against the Punjab government.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) currently has only one representative in the Punjab cabinet, Shafay Hussain.
The controversy intensified after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz issued a Rs5 billion defamation notice to Salik Hussain over his corruption allegations against the provincial government. She demanded that he withdraw his statements and issue a retraction.
Salik, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that he would respond to the legal notice.
The dispute also drew a response from former federal minister Moonis Elahi, son of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
In a post on social media platform X, Moonis criticised Maryam Nawaz over her remarks concerning Gujrat, saying the province had not been handed over to her by his father.
He also questioned her political legitimacy, claiming that she had become chief minister through Form-47.
Meanwhile, Azma Bokhari challenged Salik Hussain to either provide evidence to support his corruption allegations or apologise.
She said it was inappropriate for a federal minister and a member of the ruling coalition to make accusations without presenting evidence while continuing to benefit from government privileges.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also commented on the controversy, saying Salik’s remarks about corruption in Punjab reflected a limited understanding of the political issue.
Asif described corruption as one of the country’s major challenges and stressed that political leaders at both federal and provincial levels should work collectively to eliminate the problem.
He further pointed out that the PML-Q was part of both the federal and Punjab governments, urging its leadership to join hands in addressing corruption.
However, Asif added that if Salik’s allegations were part of a political strategy to challenge Maryam Nawaz’s government, strengthen his position and secure his political future, such an approach would be understandable from a political perspective.
The latest political exchange comes amid an ongoing division within the Chaudhry family that emerged after the removal of former prime minister Imran Khan’s government through a no-confidence motion in 2022.
Following the political developments, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi aligned themselves with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In contrast, the sons of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Salik and Shafay Hussain, chose to support the Sharif-led political alliance.
