Ch Salik Hussain to Submit Response Soon to Maryam Nawaz’s Legal Notice

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Friday said that he has received a legal notice from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz regarding a statement he made in an interview, ARY News reported.

The Federal Minister stated that he will soon submit his response to the legal notice in court.

Chaudhry Salik Hussain added that transparency should not happen behind closed doors.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has sent a legal notice to Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain over his corruption allegations against the Punjab government, seeking Rs5 billion in damages, ARY News reported.

The legal notice was sent through Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer, who accused Chaudhry Salik Hussain of making baseless and misleading allegations against the Punjab government.

According to the notice, Chaudhry Salik made the remarks during an exclusive interview with ARY News, saying that he frequently heard stories of corruption in Punjab.

He also claimed that there must be cupboards full of corruption files in Punjab rather than just files.

The notice stated that Chaudhry Salik Hussain had failed to provide any evidence to support his allegations.

It further described the allegations as baseless, unverified and defamatory, adding that the interview did not identify any documented incident, investigation or formal complaint to substantiate the claims.

ARY News and its reporter Naeem Ashraf Butt have also been sent legal notices over the broadcast of the interview.

Earlier, reacting to Chaudhry Salik’s interview, Maryam Nawaz had said she watched the programme in which he claimed that corruption was widespread in Punjab and that the alleged proceeds were accumulating.

Maryam Nawaz said she would not tolerate what she described as baseless allegations and warned of legal action if such accusations continued.

“If Chaudhry Salik has evidence, he should present it instead of making allegations,” she said, adding that she expected him to substantiate his claims.

The chief minister suggested that Chaudhry Salik was unhappy over the transfer of the Deputy Commissioner of Gujrat and questioned whether the controversy was linked to the administrative decision.

Referring to her visit to Gujrat, Maryam Nawaz said she had encountered severe flooding, claiming that the water level was so high that her Land Cruiser was submerged.

She also criticised Chaudhry Salik’s remarks about previous provincial administrations, noting that he had described the government of former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi as the best.

Reiterating her position, Maryam Nawaz said the issue was not simply about corruption allegations but about a federal minister making serious accusations without presenting supporting evidence.

She further remarked that individuals appointed through personal recommendations often undermine the interests of the country and its people.

Before this, Chaudhry Salik Hussain has raised concerns over governance, alleged corruption, administrative inefficiencies and the distribution of development funds in Punjab, saying that systemic problems are hindering progress.

In an interview with ARY News, the federal minister endorsed remarks by Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, saying his observations reflected facts and ground realities.

Speaking about alleged corruption in Punjab, Salik Hussain said he did not have documentary evidence but regularly heard accounts of corruption in the province.



He remarked that there might be enough alleged corruption-related files in Punjab to fill entire cupboards.

The federal minister alleged that political preferences were influencing development decisions in Punjab, with areas represented by government-backed candidates receiving preferential treatment.

He claimed that a major portion of Punjab’s development budget was allocated to Lahore, leaving the distribution of funds across other districts dependent on the government’s priorities.

According to Salik Hussain, districts where government-backed candidates had not won elections risked being deprived of development projects and resources.

Commenting on government spending and the use of official aircraft, Salik Hussain said public representatives should demonstrate greater sensitivity towards economic conditions and avoid unnecessary lavish expenditure.

He argued that merely stating that an aircraft was not being used for personal purposes was insufficient justification.

He added that officials using government aircraft for official purposes should also explain the outcomes and benefits achieved through such trips.

The federal minister said his experience suggested that the government system was facing several internal problems and unnecessary administrative hurdles that were slowing down development.

He called on relevant institutions to identify individuals who were allegedly obstructing progress while working on external agendas.

Salik Hussain proposed empowering federal and provincial ministers and holding them accountable for their performance.

Using an analogy, he said ministers could not be expected to deliver results when their authority was restricted, comparing the situation to tying someone’s hands and feet before asking them to run.

Speaking about Punjab’s political leadership, Salik Hussain described former chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as the best chief minister the province had seen during his lifetime.

He said Pervez Elahi had contributed significantly to Punjab’s development and maintained that development work had been carried out without political or personal discrimination.