Key Takeaways
- Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb defended Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
- Criticism centered on Maryam’s use of a government jet for a private visit and remarks on terrorism.
- KP Assembly passed a resolution seeking action against Maryam under Article 6 of the Constitution.
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has defended Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz against recent criticism, stating that the real issue is Maryam’s rising popularity rather than her use of a government jet or her remarks on terrorism.
Aurangzeb, in a post on X, emphasized that it had already been made clear that CM Maryam would bear the expenses of her recent trip to London to attend her daughter’s graduation ceremony.
The criticism against Maryam intensified after her remarks that Punjab faces a greater security threat from neighboring provinces than from neighboring countries. These remarks were widely criticized, with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passing a majority resolution seeking action against her under Article 6 of the Constitution.
During the assembly session, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan made derogatory and sexist remarks about the Punjab chief minister and Information Minister Azma Bokhari, further escalating the controversy.
Aurangzeb criticized those using CM Maryam’s statement to spread hatred among the provinces and division in the nation, urging them to apologize to the public.
She also criticized Jan’s remarks, stating that his “cheap rhetoric” was in line with the PTI’s “detestable tradition of using foul language against women.”
Aurangzeb highlighted the importance of respecting women, saying, “Terrorists blow human bodies to pieces with guns and suicide jackets, and their facilitators use language as a weapon to insult humans, especially women.”
The KP information minister was also criticized for his remarks against CM Maryam and Bokhari. PML-N’s Samar Haroon Bilour reacted on X, saying, “I wonder what Shafi Jan’s mother will be thinking about her son tonight.”
Journalist Asad Ali Toor termed the PTI an “expert of self-goals,” adding, “Shameful and strongly condemn this statement. Shafi Jan should immediately render an unconditional apology not only to Azma Bokhari but also to all Pakistani women!”
The issue these days is not the plane or Maryam Nawaz’s statement; the real issue is with Maryam Nawaz’s performance and her rising popularity.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab Senior Minister
I wonder what Shafi Jan’s mother will be thinking about her son tonight.
Samar Haroon Bilour, PML-N Member
Shameful and strongly condemn this statement. Shafi Jan should immediately render an unconditional apology not only to Azma Bokhari but also to all Pakistani women!
Asad Ali Toor, Journalist
