CM Maryam reiterates pledge to equitable development, unveils Parwaz Card for skilled youth

• Punjab CM meets lawmakers from Mianwali, tells them major development projects launched from backward, smaller districts
• Says cardiac patients from Mianwali to receive treatment at Sargodha Institute of Cardiology
• Launches Parwaz Card to offer up to Rs300,000 interest-free support for skilled youth

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to equitable development and improved access to essential services across all districts, announcing that cardiac patients from Mianwali would now be able to avail treatment facilities at the Sargodha Institute of Cardiology.

“For the first time in Punjab’s history, major development initiatives are being launched from backward and smaller districts,” the chief minister said while talking to a delegation of members of the National and Provincial Assemblies from Mianwali, who called on her at the Chief Minister’s House here, said a handout issued by the Punjab Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR).

During the meeting, CM Maryam Nawaz discussed the country’s political situation, law and order, and ongoing development projects in the province, with a particular focus on Mianwali. She said the government was determined to ensure that people living in less-developed districts received the same quality of healthcare and public services as those in major urban centres.

The delegation—comprising Ali Haider Noor Khan, Ubaidullah Shadi Khel, Amanatullah Shadi Khel, Adil Abdullah Rokhri, Malik Feroz Joyia and Sajjad Bhachar—appreciated the chief minister for introducing the honorarium card for mosque imams and for launching Punjab’s first electric bus service in Mianwali. They also lauded the provision of free medicines in government hospitals across the province, terming it a significant relief for the public.

“We will further accelerate the journey of public service,” the chief minister said, adding that the Suthra Punjab Programme was being expanded into the world’s largest waste management initiative.

Members of the delegation described the launch of the electric bus service in Mianwali as “nothing short of a miracle” for the local population, noting that the beautification drive and the Suthra Punjab project had led to visible improvements in the city’s cleanliness and overall outlook.

CM INAUGURATES PARWAZ CARD TO EMPOWER SKILLED YOUTH

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the province’s first-ever flagship youth empowerment initiative, the Parwaz Card, aimed at providing financial assistance and employment opportunities to skilled youth.

Addressing graduates of technical training institutes, the chief minister said that 250,000 young people had completed technical training, while more than 114,000 had secured employment, including 97,000 within Pakistan and 33,000 abroad. She also launched three complementary initiatives—Creative Hands, Rah-e-Rozgar and the Skill Development Portal—to further strengthen Punjab’s skills ecosystem.

میں اپنی ہر تقریر میں , خاص طور پر نوجوانوں سے متعلق تقاریب میں، یہ بات دہراتی ہوں کہ ریاست کو ماں کی طرح ہونا چاہیے۔ ماں چاہتی ہے کہ بچوں کے راستے سے ہر تکلیف دور کر دے تاکہ وہ اعتماد کے ساتھ زندگی کا سفر طے کریں۔ اگر میرے اختیار میں ہو تو پنجاب کے خزانے کا ایک ایک پیسہ نوجوانوں… pic.twitter.com/SU6XZS8ev5

— PMLN (@pmln_org) January 28, 2026

Under the Parwaz Card programme, CM Maryam Nawaz announced interest-free financial assistance of up to Rs300,000 for skilled youth, particularly those seeking overseas employment, to protect them from exploitation by agents.

The chief minister met 90 students who had completed technical training in various trades and interacted with them at their seats, inquiring about their skills and employment status. Expressing satisfaction over their success stories, she appreciated students excelling in multiple disciplines, including a mosque imam who had also completed an electrician’s course. She also met transgender students and assured them of dignity, inclusion and full state support.

Speaking to graduates of institutions affiliated with the Punjab Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Department, CM Punjab said the government aimed to invest every single rupee of the provincial treasury in the youth. She stressed that scholarships alone were insufficient, and that the state was now ensuring training, market access and sustainable employment.

She said more than 200,000 young people across Punjab had gained access to improved opportunities, adding that government teams had been dispatched to the Gulf region to explore job markets for Pakistani youth. She noted that skilled workers were now earning up to $500 per month by working from home after completing vocational training in areas such as tile fixing, welding, electrical wiring, IT and e-commerce.

Highlighting future-oriented reforms, the chief minister said artificial intelligence (AI) education had been made mandatory in schools, and disclosed that she had personally attended an AI training session with provincial ministers—an unprecedented step for any chief minister. “In the age of AI, every decision must be knowledge-based,” she said.

Reiterating her vision of transforming Punjab’s workforce from low-paid labour into a highly skilled and globally competitive asset, CM Maryam Nawaz said Pakistan must move from “brain drain to brain gain”. She added that the Parwaz Card would support every skilled youth going abroad with financial assistance of up to Rs300,000.

Concluding her address, the chief minister shared her vision of a province where products proudly carry the label ‘Made in Punjab’, urging skilled youth to contribute positively to national development and remain vigilant against anti-state narratives.