Will Azma Bukhari resign from her portfolio due to Marriyum Aurangzeb?

LAHORE: Two female Members of the Punjab Assembly Azma Bukhari and Marriyum Aurangzeb are reportedly at odds over distributing funds for digital media and interference in the affairs of the provincial Ministry of Information, which might lead to the resignation of Azma Bukhari.                                                                                                                        

Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari has urged Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to change her portfolio due to what she claims is persistent interference by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in her ministry’s affairs, senior journalist Mansoor Ali Khan said in his Vlog quoting a news story published in The Scoop.

Multiple officials from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and Information Ministry have confirmed that Bukhari may soon be replaced, according to the publication.

According to insiders, Bukhari has been trying to secure a meeting with the CM to discuss her grievances, particularly the alleged bypassing of procedures in awarding Rs. 150 million in digital ads to Channel 7 Pvt. Limited, a company reportedly linked to a close relative of Aurangzeb.

“People are questioning how the Chief Minister could be unaware of this corruption,” Bukhari is reported to have told Maryam Nawaz. “This scandal is tarnishing not just my reputation, but yours as well,” she allegedly added, emphasising that two secretaries and two Directors General of Public Relations (DGPR) have already been replaced at Aurangzeb’s behest without her involvement and the third one is likely to be shown the door soon (Shahanshah Faisal Azeem).

Bukhari has expressed her desire to be reassigned, with reports indicating that CM Nawaz is considering appointing Marriyum Aurangzeb as the new Information Minister, while Syed Kosar Kazmi, the current spokesperson for the Punjab government, could be promoted to Special Assistant to the CM to manage the ministry’s affairs under Aurangzeb, the publication said.

Sources claim the conflict between Bukhari and Aurangzeb intensified after Aurangzeb allegedly began interfering in the ministry’s operations. Both ministers reportedly seek control over the substantial funds flowing into digital media following the approval of the government’s digital media policy.

The saga began when Aurangzeb reportedly funneled Rs. 150 million in digital media ads to Channel 7 Pvt. Ltd. as part of the government’s Ramzan Negahban package, circumventing the standard approval processes, sources revealed. The ads, which ran from March 15 to 22, 2024, were not properly documented and did not receive the required SPL number from the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR), according to the publication.

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Despite mounting pressure from Aurangzeb, DGPR officials refused to release the funds without proper documentation, sparking tensions within the ministry. Several officials, including DGPR’s Director Coordination Muhammad Tariq Ismail and Director Advertisement Abdul Nasir, refused to approve the payments, citing potential legal scrutiny by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The DGPR’s office later reached out to the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to verify the legitimacy of the ads, emphasising that screenshots or partial evidence from Channel 7 would not suffice. The request is part of a broader effort by the DGPR to ensure transparency in the use of public funds.

In the aftermath, both Secretary Information Daniyal Gillani and DGPR Rubina Afzal Khan were removed from their posts for failing to comply with Aurangzeb’s demands. Sources claim Aurangzeb had shifted her strategy, allegedly attempting to push the payment through the Industries Department, bypassing DGPR protocols altogether. Rumors also suggest she received a Rs. 30 million commission for directing the ad placements to Channel 7, according to the publication.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Aziz Tarrar, a Grade-20 bureaucrat linked to the Farah Gogi corruption scandal, had replaced Daniyal Gillani as Secretary of Information and had been given additional responsibilities as DGPR. The move had fueled speculation that Aurangzeb could be replicating the power structure once maintained by Gogi, with bureaucrats loyal to her replacing those removed for non-compliance. Later Tarrar was also replaced by Shahanshah Faisal Azeem who was made DGPR and given an additional charge of Secretary Information.\

“Now Shahanshah Faisal is also likely to be replaced soon, ” a senior official at DGPR told TS.

AZMA BUKHARI RESPONDS

When Mansoor Ali Khan contacted Azma Bokhari over the reports to confirm if she had offered her resignation due to Aurangzeb’s interference, Bukhari simply replied, “No.”

The Scoop contacted Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb to ask whether Azma Bukhari had indeed offered her resignation due to Aurangzeb’s alleged interference, she responded dismissively. “Who told you this? I have nothing to do with the media,” Aurangzeb remarked.

When asked if she planned to confront Bukhari directly, Aurangzeb responded, “Why should I ask her? She hasn’t said anything to me.”