Maryam hits back at corruption claims, defends Punjab record

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said political narratives, allegations and criticism cannot sustain public support indefinitely, arguing that a government’s performance and service delivery ultimately determine its political standing.

She made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing a Honhaar Scholarship and laptop distribution ceremony at Government Comprehensive High School in Jhelum.

Maryam said voters were more interested in practical work than political claims and judged parties by their performance. Referring to the PML-N’s recent victories in local elections in Sahiwal and Gujranwala, she said opposition parties had joined forces against her, but their criticism had failed to change public opinion.

She maintained that political leaders who failed to deliver for the people eventually lost public support, regardless of how many allegations or claims they made.

Responding to accusations of corruption against the Punjab government, Maryam challenged those raising the allegations to resign from the provincial cabinet if they had serious objections. Her remarks appeared to be directed at Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik, who recently levelled corruption allegations against the provincial administration.

The chief minister defended her government’s development record, saying projects worth trillions of rupees had been launched over the past three years without corruption. However, she clarified that she was not claiming corruption had been completely eliminated from Punjab.

Maryam said she was accountable to the public for every rupee spent from the provincial budget. She also pledged action against any minister or government official if credible evidence of corruption or bribery emerged.

She added that criticism was intensifying as the next elections approached, describing it as an attempt to divert attention from her government’s development agenda.

The chief minister said her administration had moved away from concentrating development projects in major cities and was extending public facilities to smaller districts. She cited the expansion of the Green Bus service to Jhelum, Khushab, Layyah, Bhakkar, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Multan.

Highlighting education reforms, Maryam said the government was establishing Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence to provide students with facilities comparable to those offered by expensive private institutions. These schools will feature air-conditioned classrooms, computer and artificial intelligence laboratories, science facilities and qualified teachers.

She announced plans to establish 300 such schools across Punjab, with construction work on the Jhelum project scheduled to begin on December 15. She also praised Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat for his contribution to the provincial education sector.

On healthcare, Maryam said cardiac treatment facilities were being introduced in 25 cities where specialised services had previously been unavailable. Patients at public hospitals would receive procedures such as angiograms, angioplasty, stenting and pacemaker implantation free of charge, she added.

She further announced that cancer hospitals were being established at every divisional headquarters. The country’s first government-run cancer hospital is also under construction in Lahore.

Her remarks come amid a political controversy over Chaudhry Salik’s allegations of corruption against the Punjab government.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier suggested that the accusations were part of an attempt to discredit the existing political leadership and prepare the ground for an alternative political arrangement.

Asif argued that corruption allegations were being selectively directed at Punjab, despite corruption being a wider issue across the country. He described the developments as a possible effort to undermine the incumbent leadership and introduce a new political team.