Sharif name signifies progress, rivals only bring chaos: Maryam Nawaz

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has drawn a contrast between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership and its rivals, saying some political figures are associated with ‘abuse, chaos and conflict’, whereas the name of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is linked with ‘infrastructure and development’. She claimed that no one, except the PML-N, has ever contributed even a single brick to the development of Pakistan or Punjab.

Speaking at the launch ceremony of Phase-II of the electric bus service in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, Maryam said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz remains the only political party with the capacity to deliver development and serve people. “Opponents say, if anyone knows how to work, it is the Muslim League,” she said, adding that the party’s track record speaks for itself.

Punjab CM unveiled series of major development projects for province and announced a Rs30 billion signal-free corridor for Rawalpindi, the construction of the Thal Expressway from Rojhan to Bhakkar, and the completion of the Lahore Cancer Hospital. She also announced a Rs100 billion programme to introduce a new drainage and sewerage system in rural Punjab.

The ceremony marked the formal launch of the electric bus service in the Potohar region, beginning with a fleet of 45 e-buses. The rollout brought a visible uplift to Rawalpindi’s main corridors, as the new green public transport service officially began operations.

Maryam performed a symbolic launch by pressing a button to activate the environmentally friendly electro-bus service. She also announced that the number of electric buses in the Rawalpindi division would be increased to 145. Under the expansion plan, Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock will each receive 15 electric buses.

Commuters in the Rawalpindi division will be able to travel on air-conditioned, CCTV-equipped, comfortable electric buses. The fare has been set at Rs20, while students, senior citizens, women and persons with disabilities will travel free of cost.

The newly launched routes in Rawalpindi include Railway Station to Humrahi Bus Terminal, Fawara Chowk to Koral Chowk, Saddar Station to Munawar Colony, Marrir Chowk to Motorway Chowk.

Maryam said that the launch of 80 green buses for Rawalpindi was “a humble gift to the people of the city”. She added that after many years, Rawalpindi had regained its “beauty and cleanliness”.

The chief minister also said the government will continue expanding environmentally friendly and modern public transport across the province. She told the gathering that the Nawaz Sharif Flyover on Adiala Road is in its final stages of completion, promising major relief for commuters who currently face long travel times.

She added the government is constructing a 25-kilometre signal-free corridor stretching from Islamabad Expressway to Peshawar Road, featuring nine underpasses and three flyovers. The work on the project, worth Rs30 billion, has officially begun and is expected to be completed next year. According to the chief minister, the signal-free corridor will directly benefit around 200,000 people daily, significantly cutting travel time and easing the traffic burden across Rawalpindi.

Maryam further said that more development has taken place in Rawalpindi’s roads and hospitals in the last eighteen months than ever before. She added that every street and neighbourhood in Rawalpindi is being cleaned daily, and that workers under the Suthra Punjab programme are working with dedication and honesty across the province.

She claimed whatever development Rawalpindi has seen in the past, was carried out either by Nawaz Sharif or Shehbaz Sharif, and the same is true today. “The metro bus initiative was taken by Shehbaz Sharif, and whatever development took place in Murree was done by Nawaz Sharif,” she mentioned.

Maryam also said the buses have separate compartments for women, with CCTV monitoring to protect them from harassment. “Women across Punjab can now travel without any fear,” she said.

The chief minister further said her government would bring a new law against harassment. She added, “Every coming day in Punjab will be better than the last.” She added: “Maryam Nawaz will not be at ease as long as the daughters and mothers of Punjab do not feel safe.”

She further said 20,000 kilometres of roads have been built in Punjab over the past year, and that 1,000 inter-village roads are planned for construction this year. She added that no city in Punjab will be left with broken or damaged roads.

Maryam said the stretch from Wagah to Lahore, which was once in poor condition, has now been transformed into a beautiful corridor. “When tourists came to the Wagah border, we used to feel embarrassed. Now a 14-kilometre green heritage corridor has been built. Anyone entering our country will admire this corridor,” she said.

She stated roads are being built across Punjab, adding: “Electric buses can only run when roads are smooth and well-built.” She said, the electric buses will not add pollution to the environment.

She said that people with disabilities will have wheelchair facility inside the new electro-buses. The buses are brand new and come equipped with Wi-Fi and mobile charging ports. “These days one cannot manage without a mobile phone, so the provision of these facilities were essential,” she remarked.

The CM announced that 1,100 green buses will be on the roads of Punjab by December, beginning with smaller towns before expanding to major cities. She said the goal is to provide the same standard of facilities in every district, adding that she has no discrimination in her heart and that every citizen in Punjab deserves equal rights.

Maryam also said students will no longer have to travel in rickshaws “being pushed around” or ask strangers for lifts; instead, they will now travel with dignity. She said the Punjab government has taken responsibility for the education of students who cannot afford it, adding that 80,000 high-achieving students are receiving support under the Honhar Scholarship Programme, while missing facilities in 50,000 government schools are being addressed.

She added the School Meal Programme was launched to help undernourished children, which has led to an increase in school enrolment.

Health facilities

Maryam further stated Pakistan’s first cancer hospital will begin treatment in January, while 20 cancer patients have already recovered through the Mayo Hospital’s ablation machine. Patients diagnosed with stage-one cancer will be able to benefit from this technology, she added.

She said the Sargodha Institute of Cardiology has been completed and will be formally inaugurated soon. A cardiac centre in Sahiwal is also ready, while Lahore’s Jinnah Institute of Cardiology is under construction. She said that at the Nawaz Sharif Medical District, treatment will be available to treat all diseases that previously could not be treated in Pakistan. She added that the Clinic on Wheels service is providing medical treatment door-to-door.

Maryam said cancer medicines and other previously unavailable drugs are now 100% free and delivered at patients’ doorsteps. She said, she personally ensured that hospital announcements were made instructing patients: “You do not have to pay for medicines. All medicines are available free-of-cost in the hospital.”

She said patients with serious illnesses are receiving two-month medicines at home, and insulin for type-one diabetic children is also being delivered to their houses. According to the chief minister, cardiology centres are being established in 20 cities, and an air ambulance service has been launched within a single year—something, she noted, no other province has achieved.

Maryam also said within just ten months, 100,000 houses are under construction, which she described as a remarkable achievement. Under the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar programme, 350 to 400 houses are being built every day, she said, adding that people are now leaving rented homes and moving into their own houses.

Efforts to combat smog

Maryam said, for the first time, Punjab has seen reduced smog levels in October and November. “This is perhaps the first year smog has decreased by 60–70%,” she said, noting that, in previous years, schools and markets had to be shut down due to hazardous pollution levels. She attributed the improvement to better control over crop residue burning, vehicle fitness checks, and the use of smog guns.

She praised Marriyum Aurangzeb for her hard work in combating smog. She said water shortages in the Potohar region were being addressed and that clean drinking water will reach every household this year. Villages are being developed into model villages, she said, with urban-level facilities being extended to rural residents.

Maryam described Punjab as the ‘food basket of Pakistan’, adding that 20,000 more tractors and high-tech farming machinery are being provided to farmers this year. She said more developments have taken place in the last 18 months than in the previous ten years. Punjab has also introduced a new ordinance under which land-grab cases will be decided within 30 days.

She said the Asaan Karobar (Easy Business) Scheme has disbursed Rs85 billion in loans, and tree-planting drives are underway across the province. She said, 150,000 workers under the Suthra Punjab programme are active on the ground, while PHA and WASA are being expanded in all major cities. “If Punjab progresses, prosperity will follow,” she said.

Maryam said crime graph has fallen by 70% due to the work of the CCD, and that criminals are now afraid to pick up weapons. “Mafias are pleading,” she added. She said the safety of Punjab’s residents remains her top priority, noting that even an opposition politician had admitted that she feels safe in Maryam Nawaz’s Punjab.

She stated she feels proud when people say she is Nawaz Sharif’s daughter because it motivates her to work harder. “If we start listing our performance, the day would end but the work would not,” she said.