Maryam Nawaz says KP left behind as she touts Punjab’s development drive

GUJRAT: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday launched a scathing critique of the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the province’s people were “still living in the stone age” due to a lack of development initiatives.

Addressing a laptop distribution ceremony at a university in Gujrat, she highlighted a range of welfare and education programmes in Punjab, including Honhaar scholarships, laptop schemes, Parwaz Card facilities, green buses and technical training opportunities for students.

“So there is Honhaar here, and incitement there, but this is nothing to rejoice about,” she said, adding that she was “extremely upset” over the situation in KP.

“They do not know what development is. They do not realise that Honhaar scholarships also exist if one does not have the resources for their child’s studies,” she said. “They do not know that you must have a gadget or a laptop or an iPad or a computer in your hands if you are to meet global standards in today’s age.”

In an apparent reference to the long tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the province, Maryam said the public there “does not even know what development is,” adding that the government’s answer to every problem was merely “awareness”.

She also criticised road blockades in KP, saying such actions harmed the province’s own economy rather than Punjab’s business activity.

During her address, Maryam recalled the period when her mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, was battling cancer while her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was imprisoned.

“When my father and I were in jail, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and her disease was ridiculed so much; it was even said that she was not sick and it is all a drama,” she said, alleging that individuals even entered the intensive care unit in a London hospital in disguise to verify her condition.

Recalling her mother’s death, Maryam said she learned of it while in jail, quoting her father as saying: “One has to die to prove their innocence here.”

She also played old video clips of PTI founder Imran Khan from his time in power, in which he spoke about prison conditions for political opponents. Maryam responded by asserting that despite political differences, her family had not sought to deprive Khan of facilities.

“I am swearing by God that till today, neither I nor Nawaz Sharif or Shehbaz Sharif even thought of removing his AC or shutting off his food and TV,” she said, adding that Nawaz Sharif had even suggested providing additional comfort so that Khan would not face difficulties in jail.

Maryam said she had been the first woman to be detained in the National Accountability Bureau’s jail, where a cell had to be vacated because there was no dedicated women’s facility.

Emphasising restraint in political conduct, she urged supporters not to turn disagreements into personal enmity. “You can have differences on policies … but you cannot turn political disagreements into personal enmities,” she said.

Referring to Khan’s current health issues, the chief minister said he was receiving all necessary medical care and that no one wished him harm. She concluded by calling for lies, incitement, vandalism and “fitna” to be removed from politics, urging a shift toward civility and public welfare.