But you ended up targeting your own party’s moral standing; dragging women’s marriages and private lives into politics is not a Pashtun tradition, says Sher Afzal Marwat.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 11th Sep, 2026) PTI lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat said, “Mr Shafi Jan! Today you tried to politically wound Maryam Nawaz and Uzma Bukhari, but ended up targeting your own party’s moral standing.” In a statement on X, he said PTI’s real strength lay in the oppression and victimhood it faced, adding that Shafi Jan had given its opponents the argument they had long been seeking.
“When the grip of argument slips, the tongue reaches the collar of a person’s character; but the stain does not always remain on the collar—it also remains on the hands.” He said dragging women’s marriages, character and private lives into politics was neither bravery, politics nor a Pashtun tradition.
“Fight your opponent’s policies, but do not cross the threshold of his home. A minister’s words reflect both his office and his upbringing.
Do not lower your language so much while trying to diminish your opponent that those measuring him begin to see your own stature as smaller.” He added that defending Shafi Jan’s speech was more difficult than condemning it.
KP Information Minister Shafi Jan, meanwhile, said his remarks regarding Uzma Bukhari had been misinterpreted.
Speaking on a Geo news programme, he asked whether Uzma Bukhari had apologised for calling Pashtuns “wild.” He said that if she apologised, he would also refrain from making further statements.
He said that the kind of “wild” statements others were making, there were also people among us who could go there and make such “wild” statements, and that if anyone was misinterpreting his remarks, it was a question of their mindset.
He questioned Maryam Nawaz’s remarks, alleging that she had given Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a clean chit while holding the provinces responsible, and claimed that her statement about smaller provinces amounted to an attempt to break up the country.
Former minister Fawad Chaudhry’s wife, Hiba Fawad, said Shafi Jan’s language about Uzma Bukhari was extremely shameful and condemnable.
In a post on X, she said political differences were one thing, but insulting a woman was unacceptable under any circumstances. She urged Shafi Jan to explain his words and apologise, stressing that women must be respected.
Hiba Fawad said differences were acceptable, but insulting women was unacceptable.
She called on Shafi Jan to clarify his words and apologise for the inappropriate language, saying that respect for women was essential.
It may be recalled that KP Information Minister Shafi Jan said in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly that Maryam Nawaz would have to apologise for her statement.
He alleged that she had called Pashtuns “wild” and said, “If you like wild people so much, we can send them to you.” He said he would continue demanding an apology from Maryam Nawaz. He also alleged that Maryam Nawaz had absolved Modi of responsibility and rubbed salt into the nation’s wounds.
Shafi Jan said that claiming Punjab faced a threat not from the neighbouring country but from neighbouring provinces amounted not only to giving hostile India a clean chit, but also to openly rejecting the Pakistan Army’s four-year position and the national narrative against Indian aggression.
He asked who was responsible for Modi’s aggression and conspiracies against Pakistan if there was no threat from the enemy. He described targeting Pakistan’s own provinces as the height of political prejudice.
He said the nation remembered everything, from the Dawn Leaks and Memogate to the latest statement.
He alleged that Indian media had been continuously propagating Maryam Nawaz’s remarks for a week. He further claimed that every tactic was being used against PTI workers and political opponents in Punjab, while not a single word was being spoken against Modi.
He said ignoring the enemy and declaring one’s own provinces a threat was political prejudice.
Referring to Rana Sanaullah, he said the former minister saw only May 9 in every political struggle and claimed that another May 9 was being prepared. “A person thinks according to his mindset; his mindset is that of Model Town and Muridke,” he said.
He further alleged that accusations had previously emerged regarding Rana Sanaullah’s electoral links with banned organisations and their workers, despite his current statements being based on evidence provided by the same institutions. “First account for your own past, then point fingers at others,” he said.
