ISLAMABAD; Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday defended her outspoken stance on Punjab’s development, saying she had every right to speak for the province she leads.
“Some people get upset when I talk about Punjab — but tell me, which province am I the chief minister of? If I don’t speak for Punjab, then who should?” she said while addressing a ceremony in Lahore.
Maryam stressed that her government’s efforts were aimed at not only eliminating crime and filth but also “cleansing the minds” of those envious of Punjab’s progress. She added that her vision was for all provinces — including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh — to be equally clean and developed, noting that every province received sufficient funds.
The verbal clash between the PPP and PML-N first erupted over the distribution of flood compensation through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). PPP insisted that BISP be used for aid distribution, but Punjab rejected the proposal, accusing rival parties of exploiting the disaster for political gain.
Maryam criticized the provincial governments of other regions, urging citizens to hold their own leaders accountable for broken roads, costly wheat, and poor infrastructure. She emphasized that progress was a right, not a privilege, and credited her father Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif for her governance model.
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari rejected demands for Maryam to apologize to PPP, claiming it was Sindh that initiated the row. She accused PPP of undermining the federation.
Amid escalating tensions, President Asif Ali Zardari has tasked Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi with mediating between PPP and PML-N. Naqvi will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif upon his return from Malaysia on Wednesday to discuss easing the situation.
PPP leaders Palwasha Khan and Senator Waqar Mehdi continued to lash out at Maryam, with Khan asserting that PPP is “an ally, not a slave,” while Mehdi suggested “the niece is plotting against her uncle.”
PTI also weighed in, with Asad Qaiser inviting PPP to join the opposition benches and offering support for a no-confidence move against the government.
