Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz rejected a firm proposal to seek international help for flood relief and claimed that the provincial government would handle the crisis using his own resources. She also accused Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of politicizing the disaster.
During the launch of the first Electric Bus service ever in Dera Ghazi Khan, Maryam approached the destruction caused by four consecutive months of rainfall, which led to the worst flood in Punjab’s history.
She was aiming for PPP leadership, specifically President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, of having interfered with Punjab’s affairs instead of focusing on their own province.
“Keep your advice to yourself. We want to control Punjab herself,” she said, adding that while Bilawal is like a younger brother to her, his party’s spokesmen should refrain from commenting on Punjab’s situation.
Read more: Bilawal calls for relief, not rhetoric question PML-N ‘U-TURN’ at Bisp
CM also treated calls for Punjab to request international donations and insisted that her government would never “beg for help. “I’m Nawaz Sharif’s daughter. I don’t want to beg. How can a self -respecting person keep their hand out?” She said and repeated that her government would trust her own resources.
Maryam emphasized that Punjab had not requested any financial assistance from the federal government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about flood relief. “I haven’t taken or even asked for a rupe from the prime minister,” she confirmed.
She also criticized the Benazir Income Support program for offering insufficient help to flooded families. “What can anyone do with RS10,000 if they have suffered a loss worth millions?” She asked. In response, she promised up to RS1 million in compensation for affected families.
CM also emphasized its commitment to all Punjab and rejected the efforts to divide the province along regional lines. “South Punjab is as dear to me as my own son, Junaid,” she said, highlighting PML-n’s real development work in the region.
She added that under her leadership, schoolchildren in South Punjab received milk, and other practical welfare measures were implemented.
In his speech, the minister of chief discussed welfare measures aimed at families struggling to make ends meet. She clarified that her administration’s ration card was intended for hard -working individuals, not those who are dependent on government assistance without effort.
Electric bus connection to South Punjab
Maryam launched the new electric bus connection and called it a historic milestone in the modernization of South Punjab’s transport system.
A total of 101 buses will be implemented over the DG Khan division, which covers areas such as Layyah, Muzaffarh, Rajanpur, Taunsa and Kot Addu. The service will offer free travel for women, students and the elderly and will be fully available to people with disabilities.
The first phase includes 24 buses on routes in DG Khan, which will include air conditioning, Wi-Fi, charging ports, CCTV cameras and separate rooms for women.
In her final remarks, she urged citizens to treat the new buses as their own, and emphasized that harmful public property is equivalent to harming the public. “These buses belong to the people. Keep them clean and protect them,” she said.
