Ayesha Ahad, who claims to be the wife of MNA Hamza Shahbaz, served a legal notice on Monday to Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for making "highly defamatory" comments about her character.

Sent by Advocate Ali Zia Bajwa, the notice demands Sanaullah to retract his "malicious" statement within seven days and tender an "unqualified and unconditional apology for his false allegations".

According to the legal notice, the PML-N member on Sunday had called Ahad a 'peshaa-war aurat [woman of profession]' in Urdu, which it said "connotes a woman pursuing the oldest profession or [...] a woman engaged in prostitution". Sanaullah had alleged that Ahad was “making false claims about her marriage with Hamza” and "was looking for financial benefits".

Due to the minister's remarks, Ahad has "suffered immensely in her reputation and has also been lowered in the estimation of her friends and the general public," reads the notice.

It demands that Sanaullah pay Ahad Rs200 million as damages for tarnishing her image, failing which legal proceedings would be pursued against him.

Earlier on Sunday, Ahad had sought the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's help in raising her issue.

“I have sought the PTI support to raise my issue after seeing quick response by the prime minister to the complaint of MNA Ayesha Gulalai. I also want a parliamentary committee probe of my case like that of Gulalai,” Ahad had told Dawn earlier.

Ahad had alleged that Hamza “secretly” contracted marriage with her in 2010, but later “unceremoniously abandoned her”. “I was tortured by Punjab police for disclosing our marriage. Nawaz Sharif also knew about our marriage."

She said that she would also file a reference against Hamza this week, contending that by “concealing his marriage with her” the MNA was no more “Sadiq and Amin” and should be disqualified.

The PTI on Sunday declared that it would raise “Hamza-Ayesha” marriage issue in the National Assembly and ensure that she gets justice.

“We will fully cooperate with the parliamentary committee (constituted) in the Ayesha Gulalai case, but at the same time we (will also) make sure that a similar treatment be meted out to Ahad as her ‘marriage and torture’ complaint involves an MNA (Hamza) and comes under the purview of the parliament,” PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry had told Dawn.