K-P CM warned of 'fire and fury clapback'

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday warned her Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa counterpart of a fitting and forceful reply, if he came to Punjab and broke the law, a sharp rebuke to Ali Amin Gandapur's tirade against the provincial government in two public gatherings earlier this month.

Addressing a gathering the graduation ceremony at the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad, Chief Minister Maryam fired a broadside against Chief Minister Gandapur. She advised him to focus on service to people rather than profanity and arson against political rivals.

"It's easy to set things on fire, but doing public work is difficult. These people have defamed politics. They should work for the people, instead of hurling abuses," she told the ceremony. "If you come in Punjab and break the law, you will get a forceful reply," she added, addressing Gandapur.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held a rally in Islamabad, where K-P Chief Minister Gandapur strongly criticised the Punjab Chief Minister and her Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led provincial government as well as the federal government.

Last later, the PTI held another rally in Lahore. The public gathering, however, ended abruptly even before K-P chief minister could reach the venue. Pictures later went viral that showed Chief Minister Gandapur and his supporters smashing vehicles.

Maryam Nawaz told the graduation ceremony that the rulers in K-P were focused on hurling abuses and damaging properties rather than doing good work for the people. "For God's sake, pay attention to the people," she said.

"Your job is not to attack other provinces but to manage your own province. How is it that Kalashnikovs are brandished and car windows are smashed? K-P chief minister efforts to turn the people of Punjab into terrorists will fail," she added.

Maryam Nawaz noted that a chief minister, who actually wanted to work for the betterment of the people, would rarely have time to visit other province and hold rallies. "I don't have that much time to hold meetings in other provinces. I am busy in public service," she said on a personal note.