In a tweet aimed at shutting critics down, Maryam Nawaz Sharif defended the Islamabad police official who was sent a notice for saluting the first daughter.

"We salute the daughters, not the ranks! If they respect you, respect them back !" Sharif said in a tweet, adding "All salutes are not protocol. Respect comes from the heart." Her tweet was in response to the criticism that the official had acted against official protocol in saluting a civilian.

The controversy began when Imran Khan posted a tweet, saying "Inexplicable why private citizen Maryam getting official protocol with police saluting as she goes to appear before criminal investigation?", after Sharif's appearance before the joint investigation team (JIT) looking into Sharif family's business dealings abroad.

High Court Advocate Amna Ali had later sent a legal notice to SP special branch Arsala Saleem for saluting Maryam Nawaz as she arrived at the Federal Judicial Academy to appear before the JIT.