LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bukhari, while responding to recent statements by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said that this is neither Adiala Jail, Zaman Park nor the shrine in Pakpattan where a spectacle can be staged every week along with family members and a handful of hired individuals.
She said that the reality is that no responsible office-bearer of PTI ever turns up outside Adiala Jail. Instead, women are deliberately used as human shields, which is a highly condemnable and unfortunate practice.
Azma Bukhari made it clear that the Punjab Police always demonstrate patience, tolerance and restraint. However, when the law is violated, the police are left with no option but to act in accordance with the law. She questioned whether the police should remain silent spectators if they are abused or physically assaulted.
The minister said that the practice of blaming Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for every wrongdoing must come to an end. If people do not come out on the streets for the sake of a particular leader, why should Maryam Nawaz be held responsible for that, she added.
She further stated that those who once considered themselves the most popular have now lost their relevance among the masses. She remarked that lectures on the Constitution and rule of law are being delivered by people who themselves were advocates of authoritarian conduct in the past.
Azma added that playing political cards in the name of constitutional supremacy and alleged human rights violations should be stopped. Anyone who takes the law into their own hands will be held accountable before the law, regardless of who they are, she added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026