Shazia Marri defends Bilawal after viral press conference exchange

ISLAMABAD: Shazia Marri on Friday defended an interaction with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during a press conference that went viral on social media, saying a single moment between colleagues who had worked together for years should not be viewed in isolation.

The exchange occurred after the PPP parliamentary party meeting at Parliament House in Islamabad on Thursday, when Bilawal was responding to a question regarding suggestions from some government figures about transferring subjects such as education, health and the Benazir Income Support Programme back to the federal government under a proposed constitutional amendment.

As Bilawal said he was unaware which federal minister had made the remarks, Marri interjected to clarify that the comments had come from Minister of State for Religious Affairs Kesoo Mal Kheal Das.

Bilawal responded by saying, “I am not asking you,” after which Marri apologised before he concluded the exchange with “Thank you.”

A clip of the interaction quickly spread across social media, drawing criticism and debate over Bilawal’s tone toward the senior PPP leader.

Addressing the controversy in a post on X, Marri said that one interaction between people who had worked closely together for many years should not overshadow the party’s broader mission of public service.

She stressed that the Pakistan Peoples Party had always prioritised collective public welfare and that attention should remain focused on that objective rather than isolated moments.

The incident also sparked reactions from commentators and activists. Digital rights activist Usama Khilji criticised Bilawal’s remarks, saying it was inappropriate for a senior elected woman politician to be addressed publicly in a condescending manner.

He argued that the episode sent the wrong message from the party that produced the Muslim world’s first woman prime minister and called on Bilawal to apologise.

Meanwhile, analyst Imtiaz Gul described the exchange as embarrassing for Marri and criticised Bilawal for displaying what he termed “wadera arrogance” during the interaction.