By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday made a series of bold claims during her address in the Punjab Assembly, calling Pakistan’s recent confrontation with India on May 10 a “historic victory.” She credited the country’s armed forces, Field Marshal, and Army Chief General Asim Munir for their efforts and also expressed strong opposition to what she termed “corrupt Israel’s attacks on Iran,” prompting protests from the opposition benches.
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In a wide-ranging speech, the Chief Minister presented her government’s achievements over the past year and a half. She announced that Punjab’s previous debt of Rs. 650 billion has been brought down to zero, and Rs. 1240 billion worth of development projects have been launched. She emphasized the introduction of a tax-free budget for the second consecutive year and claimed to have fulfilled IMF targets while meeting constitutional responsibilities.
“We’ve not just announced projects like others; we’ve implemented the largest annual development program worth Rs. 1,013 billion,” she said. Highlighting her government’s commitment to southern Punjab, she announced the launch of electric buses and what she termed the “largest clean drinking water project in Pakistan’s history,” starting from South Punjab.
Focusing on health and education, she said Rs. 82 billion have been allocated for health and Rs. 150 billion for education. The Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital is nearing completion, while the Maryam Nawaz Institute of Cardiology is in its final stages. She added that Rs. 7 billion worth of medicines have been distributed free across Punjab.
Taking a veiled jab at PTI, she cited Aleema Khan’s remarks suggesting that PTI’s founder had become “politically irrelevant due to poor performance.”
She also defended her decision not to purchase wheat, saying it led to a significant drop in bread prices, now between Rs. 12 and Rs. 13. “Farmers trusted our decision. No protests happened because they believe in Nawaz Sharif and me,” she asserted.
The Chief Minister concluded by stating that Rs. 123 billion has been allocated to the agriculture sector, and Rs. 14 billion in financial aid has already been disbursed to farmers. Through the Kisan Card initiative, five and a half lakh farmers have received subsidies for seeds and fertilizers.
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