Atiq Mir calls Sindh-Punjab CMs swap remark a ‘joke’

Business community leader Atiq Mir has clarified his remark about exchanging Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah with his Punjab counterpart Maryam Nawaz, emphasising that the comment was intended as a joke rather than a serious suggestion.

The remark, made during a meeting with Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Karachi traders, drew reactions from the Sindh government. In a humorous tone, Mir had said: “Give us Maryam Nawaz Sharif for a while and keep Murad Ali Shah.”

Sindh government spokesperson Saadia Javed condemned the statement, calling it disrespectful to the public's mandate. “The facts cannot be changed by saying flattering things, it is bad to call a flatterer the narrative of a knowledgeable and respectable business community,” she said. She further accused a certain group of traders of “insulting the mandate of the people of Sindh.”

Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, another spokesperson for the Sindh government, also criticised the remark, saying: “A sycophantic comment from one trader does not reflect the mindset of the entire trade community. The chief minister’s performance is in line with the PPP’s manifesto. The facts cannot be changed by what a single businessman says."

In response to the backlash, Mir released a video statement on social media, clarifying his intentions. “My comment about giving Maryam Nawaz to Sindh was a joke. I did not say this in relation to any local government performance since Maryam isn’t exactly achieving any milestones herself,” he said.

He added: “Maryam Nawaz’s case is similar to her father and uncle’s – ‘don’t look at our work, just notice our comings and goings'.”

The remark, initially met with laughter, came during a lighthearted exchange where traders jokingly endorsed the idea of Maryam taking charge in Sindh while Shah was sent to Punjab. Federal Minister Iqbal, present at the meeting, smiled at the suggestion but refrained from commenting.

Javed, however, took the matter seriously, criticising the group of traders. “Democracy isn’t a chessboard where a piece can simply be moved elsewhere. Elected representatives of the people are the true voices of the public,” she asserted.

Sumeta Afzal Syed, head of PPP Digital and spokesperson for the Sindh government, defended Shah’s governance, highlighting his achievements. “The way the chief minister has managed the government and developed projects, whether it’s Punjab or other provinces, they are recognising our Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode,” she said.

“The way Sindh is progressing through mega projects under the PPP mode has led others to copy us, that they too should work in a similar manner to how Sindh is working under the PPP mode,” she added.

Sumeta also reiterated that Mir’s remarks did not represent the broader business community’s sentiments, saying: “The most important point is that Atiq Mir himself has distanced himself from his statement in the video, saying it was a joke.”

“Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also meet with the business community. If there are concerns or legitimate grievances from the business community, they are addressed,” she said.