Uzma Bukhari Accepts Sharjeel Memon’s Debate Challenge: “Time and Place of Your Choice”

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister **Uzma Bukhari** has accepted Sindh Information Minister **Sharjeel Inam Memon’s** challenge for a public debate, saying the time and place can be of his choosing.

Responding to Sharjeel Memon’s recent remarks, Bukhari stated, “Please come yourself—don’t hide behind any proxy. Your narrative of dirty politics over Punjab’s flood victims has already failed.”

She added that if Memon and his party were not fearful of **Maryam Nawaz’s rising popularity**, there would have been no need for a press conference. “Did the Prime Minister ask you to politicize the misery of Punjab’s flood victims?” she questioned.

Bukhari criticized the Sindh minister, saying, “Bilawal Bhutto, while serving as Foreign Minister, weakened both his own party and the federal government. Those who cannot maintain harmony within their own households—between father and son—are now trying to cover their failures by blaming Punjab.”

She accused Memon of **conspiring against both the federation and Punjab**, saying, “Whenever Punjab progresses, you start scheming. When questioned about your performance, you play the provincial card.”

The Punjab minister further said, “Playing the South Punjab or Benazir Income Support cards is not politics—it’s filth.”

Uzma Bukhari asserted that **South Punjab today is more developed** than many parts of Sindh. “When we talk about Karachi’s garbage or corruption, you hide behind ethnic slogans like ‘Mursu Mursu’ and provincial victimhood.”

She said Memon has no right to interfere in Punjab’s matters. “Don’t try to blackmail Punjab and the federation through threats or paid protests. Keep your orders and advice to yourself,” she warned.

Bukhari added that Punjab’s **local government elections** will not be “bogus” like those in Karachi. “You are forcefully trying to pick fights in another province,” she remarked.

Mocking Memon’s stance on water disputes, she said, “Your slogan ‘Mera pani meri marzi’ is just like ‘Mursu Mursu pani na disu’ — cry all you want, but Punjab will not use water at your will.”

Concluding her statement, Uzma Bukhari said, “You mocked Punjab’s flood victims and turned their suffering into a spectacle. This is Punjab, not Sindh — where work that takes years is done here in days. Take off the lens of hatred and prejudice; you’re still selling the 2022 floods, while Punjab’s relief cheques have already reached the affected families, who are now praying for Maryam Nawaz.”