Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has hit out at senior journalist Hamid Mir after he criticised the provincial government over the handling of the Lahore manhole tragedy from Wednesday night.

 

As per the details, the information minister was reacting to a viral video of Mir wherein he accused the Punjab government of spreading false information and attempting to shift blame in the aftermath of the incident.

 

Referring to official statements, Mir said government and police sources, particularly the Punjab info minister, initially declared the incident as “fake news”.

 

“On one hand, the media reported that a woman and her child had fallen into an open manhole and rescue teams were searching for them. On the other, government and police sources kept calling it fake news.”

 

He said the situation only changed after the bodies were recovered hours later.

 

“First, the woman’s body was found. A few hours later, the body of her nine-month-old daughter was recovered. If this had not happened, the entire blame would have been placed on the poor husband,” he said, adding that police would have made him admit that he killed his wife and daughter, and disposed of the bodies.

 

Criticising the provincial leadership, Mir also said the government repeatedly claimed it had turned Punjab into a model province.

 

“The chief minister frequently criticises other provinces, and the information minister not only attacks other provinces but also targets journalists she dislikes, accusing them of spreading fake news,” he said, adding that Bukhari had in this case made false claims herself.

 

It merits a mention that Mir was referring to initial statements by Bukhari among other government officials who either rejected the manhole story as fake or hinted at foul play involving the husband of the victim.

 

While CM Maryam Nawaz said that Bukhari was not at fault as she only shared information relayed by the administration that was attempting to hide its own negligence, the information minister hit out at Mir in an X post, sharing screenshots of his past reports that were later fact-checked and rejected.

 

“Senior and well-known journalists whose countless reports turned out to be fake and who never even felt ashamed still think they can lecture others,” she wrote.

 

Sharing Mir’s video, the information minister also went on to challenge him to present any evidence regarding his allegations.

 

جید اور معروف صحافی جنکی بے تحاشا خبریں فیک نکلیں اور آج تک وہ شرمندہ تک نہیں ہوئے،وہ بھی کسی کو بات کرنے کے قابل ہیں؟کچھ مثالیں میں نے دے دیں
برائے مہربانی جو ثبوت میرے متعلق ہیں جنکا ذکر فرمایا ہے وہ جاری کردیں ،اول تو بہت سارے ٹاک شوز کرہی نہیں پاتی اور زیادہ تر ون آن ون ہوتے… https://t.co/fB4WzEFlnP pic.twitter.com/ogU9089CPw

— Azma Zahid Bokhari (@AzmaBokhariPMLN) January 30, 2026

 

“I rarely appear on talk shows, and most of my interviews are one-on-one. When did I commit this injustice? Please tell me?” she added in response to another claim by Mir who accused the minister of “only sitting with certain journalists and targeting others who decline invitations”.

 

It may be noted that public apologies over false claims regarding the incident have already been issued, and action has been initiated against officials who were responsible for it.