Hina Pervaiz Butt rejects Azma Bukhari’s claim tweet ’embarrassed’ Punjab govt
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- WEB DESK
- October 23, 2026
Chairperson of the Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) MPA Hina Pervaiz Butt has rejected Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari’s assertion that her now-deleted social media post describing the death of a Multan murder suspect as “immediate justice” had caused embarrassment to the provincial government, calling Bukhari’s remarks about her “unnecessary and uncalled for”.
Taking to her X, Butt said the post reflected her personal opinion and the feelings of an ordinary citizen rather than an official position of the Punjab government.
“I said that this is Maryam Nawaz Sharif sahiba’s government and justice is delivered immediately. This was my personal opinion,” Butt said.
She argued that she had neither blamed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz nor attributed the suspect’s death to the provincial government or any state institution.
“My colleague Azma Bukhari saying that my tweet caused embarrassment to the government, or that she herself was embarrassed, I respectfully disagree with that,” Butt said.
She added that if Bukhari personally felt embarrassed by the post, “that is her personal choice”.
Bukhari, the Punjab government’s official spokesperson, had earlier distanced the provincial government from Butt’s remarks while discussing the killing of the prime suspect in the Multan case.
Speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, Bukhari said Butt had made similar statements in the past which had caused difficulties and embarrassment for the government. She also categorically denied that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had ordered the Crime Control Department (CCD) to carry out encounters.
Butt acknowledged Bukhari’s role as the government spokesperson, saying she was entitled to clarify the administration’s official policy.
“That is good,” Butt said, before adding: “But I think her remarks on me were unnecessary and uncalled for.”
‘I said what I believe is public sentiment’
Butt defended the sentiment behind her original post by referring to several cases involving children and young people subjected to violence.
She named victims from Karachi, Multan, Islamabad, Sargodha and Abbottabad and urged television programmes discussing the controversy to invite their parents and ask how they believed those accused of harming their children should be treated.
“I believe I said what the public sentiment is and what the people’s voice is,” Butt said.
She accused critics who came forward to defend the legal rights of suspects of failing to engage with families whose children had been killed or subjected to violence.
Butt said her own interactions with such families had shaped her reaction, referring in particular to the Multan case involving Waseem Abbas, as well as the cases of 18-month-old Aizal and Islamabad student Laiba Ejaz.
Her remarks came after widespread criticism of a post she made following the death of the suspect accused of killing Waseem in Multan.
Butt had shared screenshots of a television report and written: “This is Maryam Nawaz sahiba’s government; justice is served immediately here.” She subsequently deleted the post.
Multan suspect killed after alleged escape
The controversy centres on the death of Tauqeer Nazir, who was accused of deliberately running over Waseem in a private housing society in Multan following a dispute.
Nazir was arrested and a Multan court granted police physical remand. Police later said he escaped custody before being killed near Bahawalpur in what the CCD described as an exchange of fire after personnel attempted to intercept two men on a motorcycle.
Police said the suspect was killed during the firing, while his alleged accomplices escaped.
The circumstances of the death have triggered questions over due process and alleged extrajudicial killings.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called for an independent and transparent investigation into the case, arguing that extrajudicial killings deny victims and their families the opportunity to establish the truth through due process.
Bukhari, however, rejected allegations that the Punjab government or chief minister directed such encounters and said the government stood with victims rather than perpetrators.
She said cases involving organised crime were referred to the CCD for stronger investigation and prosecution, while maintaining that suspects should be dealt with according to law.
Butt, meanwhile, maintained that her deleted post should be understood as an expression of personal emotion rather than a statement of government policy.
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