Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain has said he will give a “proper response” to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Rs5 billion defamation notice once he receives it, as the war of words between the PML-N and its ally the PML-Q escalated on Wednesday.
Salik was speaking to reporters after a National Assembly session on Wednesday, in his first public response since the legal notice was sent. “God willing, we will give a proper response to it once we receive it,” he said, according to the Express Tribune.
What Salik said
Salik rejected the allegation that he had recommended a deputy commissioner in Gujrat, and said his remarks had been personal. He said he had not spoken to his brother Shafay Hussain, who is a minister in Maryam Nawaz’s Punjab cabinet, about the matter.
On the question of evidence, Salik said Maryam Nawaz herself had acknowledged a day earlier that corruption existed in Punjab. The corruption allegation remains an allegation — no charge has been proven, and no verdict has been given.
Azma Bukhari’s challenge
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari responded by saying Salik should either present proof or apologise. She said Salik had admitted the deputy commissioner recommendation and then backtracked, and added that his brother had rejected the allegations.
PML-Q: alliance does not mean silence
The PML-Q also weighed in. Party spokesperson Ghulam Mustafa Malik said being in an alliance did not mean staying silent, and that the party had been publicly challenged. “We will present evidence of corruption, as the Maryam Nawaz government wants,” he said.
Malik added that no specific charge had been made against Maryam Nawaz herself and that the party’s statement had been general. Questions raised about the use of official aircraft and national resources remained unanswered.
Khawaja Asif’s reaction
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on X that he holds Salik Hussain and his family in high esteem, that he cannot comprehend the allegation, and that he reads it as a political move aimed at securing more space for the PML-Q.
Background
Maryam Nawaz sent the Rs5 billion defamation notice to Salik Hussain on 4 November 2026, after his remarks about corruption in Punjab. Read the earlier story here: https://trendingnews.pk/maryam-nawaz-rs5bn-defamation-notice-salik-hussain-november-2026/
Sources: Express Tribune, Dawn, UrduPoint.