LAHORE: In an unusually blunt criticism from within the federal ruling coalition, Overseas Pakistanis Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain has raised serious questions about corruption, political discrimination in development spending and administrative dysfunction in Punjab, saying he hears accounts of corruption in the province almost every day.
Salik Hussain, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), which is allied with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said the scale of alleged corruption had become so alarming that there were now enough files to fill cupboards rather than just office folders.
The federal minister acknowledged, however, that he had no direct documentary evidence to substantiate the corruption allegations he had heard. He said several of the accounts appeared credible and were being documented.
In an interview with ARY News, Salik also endorsed remarks by federal minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh about the state of the governance system, describing his observations as “100 per cent correct” and reflective of ground realities.
His criticism went beyond corruption, targeting the Punjab government’s development priorities and the alleged use of public funds to reward political allies.
Salik Questions Political Distribution of Punjab’s Budget
Salik alleged that Punjab’s budget was concentrated in Lahore before being distributed according to the preferences of those in power.
He claimed that constituencies and districts where government-backed candidates had won elections were receiving substantial development funds, while areas that had elected opposition representatives were being deprived of basic facilities and development projects.
The minister also questioned the administrative hurdles he said were deliberately created within the system, arguing that ministers were being denied the authority needed to perform their duties.
He said ministers could not be expected to deliver results when their powers were restricted, comparing the situation to tying someone’s hands and feet before asking them to run.
Salik also called for greater scrutiny of lavish government spending and the use of official aircraft, arguing that public representatives should explain the benefits achieved through official trips, particularly given the country’s economic difficulties.
Azma Bokhari Hits Back, Accuses Salik of Seeking Personal Favour
The criticism drew a sharp response from Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who rejected the allegations and defended Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s governance and development policies.
Bokhari said Maryam Nawaz had ended the culture of favouritism and political recommendations in Punjab, adding that land grabbers and influential individuals could no longer secure government appointments through personal connections.
She suggested that Salik’s anger stemmed from the refusal to appoint a deputy commissioner of his choice, saying the chief minister did not make such appointments on the recommendations of political figures.
“Salik Hussain should not bite the hand that feeds him,” Bokhari said, urging him to seek information from his elder brother, Shafay Hussain, who is part of the Punjab cabinet, instead of making public statements.
Rejecting the allegation of discriminatory development spending, Bokhari said the provincial government had launched projects across Punjab without political discrimination.
She cited road construction, laptops, scholarships, electric buses, the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing scheme and the expansion of sanitation services into rural areas as examples of the government’s development initiatives.
Bokhari also said the chief minister had ensured a transparent distribution of funds to smaller cities and claimed that Rs12 billion had been spent on development in Gujrat for the first time.
Defending the use of the official aircraft, she said Maryam Nawaz was the first Punjab chief minister to pay the expenses incurred through its use.
Nadeem Afzal Chan Says Government Must Answer
The controversy also drew a response from senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader Nadeem Afzal Chan, who described Salik’s remarks as a serious matter that the government could not ignore.
Chan said the comments carried particular weight because they had come from a federal minister and son of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, whose elder son Shafay Hussain is also serving in the Punjab cabinet.
He said the government would have to respond to the allegations, adding that three other ministers had previously made similar statements about problems within the system.
Chan backed several of Salik’s concerns, particularly those relating to the distribution of development funds, political preferences, the absence of a Provincial Finance Commission and the inactivity of local government institutions.
He said public money came from taxpayers and every government expense, even the cost of a cup of tea, should be accounted for. The use of official aircraft, he added, required even greater scrutiny.
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The PPP leader argued that public funds should be directed towards healthcare, education and the basic needs of ordinary citizens rather than lavish government spending.
He also called for an end to the colonial style of governance, saying public officials must be held accountable for the use of taxpayers’ money.
Responding to Salik’s remarks about ministers being denied authority, Chan said anyone whose hands were tied should consider leaving office rather than continuing to enjoy government privileges without being able to deliver.
The exchange has brought renewed attention to questions over Punjab’s budget allocations, political influence in development decisions and accountability for public spending, with a federal minister’s criticism now drawing a direct rebuttal from the provincial government.
