LAHORE – A constitutional petition has been filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking disclosure of Punjab government’s expenditure on advertising and publicity campaigns, particularly those featuring Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
The petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution by Barrister Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi, contends that despite seeking information through official channels, Punjab government failed to provide details regarding the use of public funds for advertising campaigns.
The petitioner initially submitted an information request to the Secretary, Information and Culture Department, Punjab, followed by a complaint before the Punjab Information Commission after allegedly receiving no response. The petition argues that the continued non-disclosure violates citizens’ constitutional right to access information guaranteed under Article 19A of the Constitution.
Today, I filed Constitutional Petition under Art 199 in Lahore High Court seeking disclosure of Punjab Government’s expenditure on advertisement campaigns, particularly those relating to the projection of the incumbent CM. Despite requesting the information from tSecretary,… pic.twitter.com/PC0N2LS9jp
— Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi (@SalmanKNiazi1) July 1, 2026
The petition requests the court to direct the Punjab government to disclose a comprehensive record of expenditure on publicity and advertising campaigns carried out since February 26, 2024, including those featuring the name, image, or likeness of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
According to the court filing, the information sought includes the total number of advertisements aired or published, the overall amount of public funds spent on publicity campaigns, and year-wise and month-wise expenditure details. The petitioner has also sought department-wise allocations, medium-wise spending across television, print, digital and social media platforms, and outdoor advertising, including billboards, banners, and hoardings.
The petition seeks details of advertising agencies, media buying firms, contractors engaged for the campaigns, procurement methods, contract values, and copies of agreements or work orders related to the publicity initiatives. The filing further requests information regarding the amount spent specifically on promotional material carrying the Chief Minister’s name or image, the number of such advertisements, the percentage they represent of the government’s overall publicity campaigns, and expenditure incurred on production teams responsible for creating promotional content.
The petition seeks disclosure of size and monthly expenditure of social media teams managing the Chief Minister’s official accounts across platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, along with platform-wise advertising expenses.
Barrister Niazi also requested copies of policies, guidelines, notifications, approvals, and payment records related to the expenditure of public funds on publicity campaigns, including payments made to individual media organizations and digital platforms. It argues that transparency in the expenditure of public funds is a constitutional obligation and that public authorities cannot withhold such information from citizens.
The petition asks the Lahore High Court to direct the respondents to immediately provide the requested information and grant any other relief the court deems appropriate. The matter is expected to be taken up by the court in due course.
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