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, escalating a war of words between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partner, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Speaking after a National Assembly session on Wednesday, Salik said: “God willing, we will give a proper response to it once we receive it.”
Trending News reported: The statement, reported on 5 November 2026, is the first public response from Salik since the notice was issued, and it comes a day after the notice itself made headlines across the country.
How the dispute started
The Scoop reported: The row began with remarks Salik made on an ARY News talk show on 2 November, in which he praised former chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s 2002-2007 tenure and alleged corruption in Punjab’s development funds.
Salik, a senior PML-Q leader who serves as Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, said he regularly heard complaints of corruption in the province. He also acknowledged that he did not personally possess evidence substantiating the corruption allegations.
Maryam Nawaz responded at a ceremony in Attock on 3 November, where she was also distributing laptops, challenging the federal minister to produce evidence supporting his allegations or face legal proceedings.
What the Rs5 billion notice demands
The legal notice, sent through Additional Advocate General Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz, demands a retraction, an unconditional and unequivocal apology, and the removal or correction of the disputed parts of the interview, along with Rs5 billion in damages.
It gives the recipients seven days to comply before further legal proceedings can be initiated under the Punjab Defamation Act, 2024.
The notice was also sent to ARY News anchor Naeem Ashraf Butt and the channel’s chairman, Muhammad Iqbal, over the broadcast of the interview in which the allegations were made.
The notice questions why Salik made broad allegations without identifying specific departments, officials, transactions, inquiries or audit findings. It says he did not name a single document, inquiry, audit observation or complaint to back his claim, and describes the allegations as baseless, misleading and defamatory.
Salik stands by his remarks
Salik has refused to withdraw his remarks, maintaining that corruption exists within Punjab’s administration. He has also rejected the allegation that he recommended the appointment of an official of his choice as Deputy Commissioner of Gujrat, his native district.
No court or inquiry has made any finding on the corruption allegation, and this article does not state that corruption took place. A defamation proceeding may determine whether particular statements unlawfully damaged someone’s reputation; it does not automatically resolve separate questions about the authorisation, distribution or utilisation of public funds.
The dispute has exposed tensions within the ruling coalition, with the PML-Q minister publicly criticising a PML-N chief minister’s administration while both parties remain partners in government at the centre.
What happens next
The seven-day deadline in the notice runs from its service on the recipients. If Salik does not retract his remarks and apologise within that period, Maryam Nawaz’s legal team has warned of proceedings under the Punjab Defamation Act, 2024.
For now, both sides have dug in. Maryam Nawaz has demanded evidence or an apology, while Salik has promised a formal reply once the notice reaches him — setting up a legal confrontation that will keep Punjab’s politics in the headlines in the days ahead.
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