Punjab minister says health concerns of IK being used as a ‘propaganda tool’

LAHORE: Terming the narrative about threats to the life of PTI founder as merely political propaganda, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari said on Monday that lies and propaganda also have a shelf life, and the truth eventually comes to light.

She added that the facts regarding the facilities being provided to the PTI founder in jail are before everyone.

She said the Makkah Agreement marks a new milestone in Pakistan’s diplomatic successes and the entire nation is celebrating the achievement with pride and joy.

The provincial minister said Pakistan’s current political situation was interesting in the sense that major political parties were governing different provinces, allowing the public to make a comparative assessment of provincial performance. She said the government of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Punjab had established a clear lead through practical performance.

She said those who lectured Punjab on governance should also present the situation in their own provinces before the people. Positive reports about Punjab published in international journals were before everyone; however, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz believed that much more remained to be done and was continuing to move forward with the same determination.

While addressing a news conference, Azma said that provision of clean drinking water to remote areas of Punjab, particularly South Punjab, is a key vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Under this initiative, families who have been travelling long distances for decades to fetch drinking water are now being provided free clean water at their doorsteps, she said.

Azma said those who have been in power in Sindh for the past 18 years should focus on the basic problems of their own people, particularly water, sanitation, transport and infrastructure, instead of lecturing Punjab on governance.

Azma Bokhari clarified that the Punjab government is fully prepared to hold local government elections.

She said that Pakistan had once again earned honour and respect, adding that the Makkah Agreement was a major diplomatic achievement for Pakistan and the entire nation was celebrating it with pride and happiness. She said that following the defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, analysts and media outlets around the world had termed it a major development, while there had also been speculation that more countries could join the agreement. The inclusion of Türkiye has now given practical shape to that possibility, she said.

Azma Bokhari said that when Allah Almighty grants honour to someone, no power in the world can humiliate them.

Despite conspiracies and baseless narratives against Pakistan, she said, Allah Almighty had continued to provide Pakistan with opportunities to demonstrate its capabilities and position on the world stage.

She said Prime Minister of Pakistan, Field Marshal General Asim Munir, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar deserved appreciation for this diplomatic achievement.

The entire nation, particularly overseas Pakistanis, was celebrating the success enthusiastically. The happiness expressed by Pakistani communities living in Türkiye and Saudi Arabia was proof of the importance of agreement for Pakistan, she said.

She expressed hope that Pakistan’s series of diplomatic successes would continue in the future. She said there was a time when discussions about Pakistan defaulting were widespread, and an impression was being created that no one was willing to answer Pakistan’s phone calls or talk to the country. Today, she said, it would not be wrong to say that Pakistan was increasingly becoming a focal point of global politics. Pakistan’s international standing and diplomatic influence were growing day by day.

Azma Bokhari said that in remote areas of Punjab, mothers and sisters had previously been forced to travel several kilometres through extreme heat and difficult terrain simply to obtain drinking water. Clean water, she said, was not merely a facility but a basic necessity of life and a great blessing from Allah Almighty.

She said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had resolved to change this situation and launched a practical programme to ensure the provision of clean drinking water.

She said the Chief Minister’s clear vision was to provide free clean drinking water to people at their doorsteps, with dignity and respect, in areas where clean water was not available.

Under this vision, water bottling plants have been made fully operational on a pilot-project basis in Dera Ghazi Khan, Khushab, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar. She said 19-litre bottles of free drinking water were being provided to families who had previously been forced to walk several kilometres to fetch water. According to figures available up to yesterday, 44,582 bottles had been delivered to domestic consumers, benefiting approximately 284,000 people. She said the programme was expected to benefit more than 20 million people in the coming years and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was going to expand it to more areas.

The Information Minister said there were areas in Punjab where the water table had fallen to extremely low levels, places where water was unavailable, and areas where drinking water was contaminated or had previously been reaching people mixed with sewage.

Keeping all these challenges in view, the Chief Minister had launched a practical programme for the provision of clean drinking water, she said.

Azma Bokhari said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was not among those who first talked about funds and feasibility studies and then took years to launch projects. Whenever she launched a programme, she said, its benefits began reaching the public, followed by visible evidence of its implementation.

Addressing the Sindh government and Pakistan People’s Party leaders, Azma Bokhari said those who had been ruling the province for 18 years should focus on the problems faced by the people of Sindh before offering advice to Punjab.

She said the people of Sindh were facing problems related to sanitation, transport, infrastructure and law and order, and therefore the need for valuable advice was greatest in Sindh itself.

Azma Bokhari said if the development and prosperity of Punjab reached the people of Karachi and Sindh, no one would be happier than the Punjab government. She said those who had failed to provide basic facilities to their own people should answer for their provincial performance before lecturing Punjab on governance.

She said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not believe in exploiting anyone’s deprivation or death for political purposes.

Wherever the Punjab government had made a mistake, she said, it had acknowledged it and taken immediate corrective measures.

Referring to recent incidents of crimes against women and girls, she said no one was being protected in Punjab; the law was taking its course and the relevant institutions were taking action.

Azma Bokhari also strongly reacted to allegations of rigging in the Azad Kashmir elections, saying that polling had barely begun when allegations of rigging started under the same pre-set script. She questioned how the Election Commission could be considered correct in constituencies where PPP candidates won, but the same Election Commission could suddenly become wrong where PML-N candidates emerged victorious.

She said that when the entire world was appreciating Pakistan’s diplomatic achievement, launching new propaganda campaigns to malign the country served no one’s interests.

Azma Bokhari said the facts regarding the facilities being provided to Imran Khan in jail were different from the claims being circulated on social media and by certain quarters.

According to her, Imran Khan was being provided medical examinations, food of his choice, exercise and other necessary facilities, while his medical record was also being regularly maintained.

She said facilities for cycling, exercise and stretching were available to Imran Khan, while he also had access to natural light and fresh air. Seasonal clothing, bedding, hygiene kits and daily-use items were being provided to him. She said meetings with Imran Khan’s wife had also taken place and lawyers had access to him.

Azma Bokhari said attempts to create doubts regarding Imran Khan’s health were part of an organised propaganda campaign. She reiterated that lies also have a shelf life and eventually the truth comes to light.

Responding to questions, Azma Bokhari said the period from 2015 to 2026 should be viewed in its proper context with regard to local government elections. She said local government elections were held in 2015 and the government remained in place until 2018, while the PTI government also did not hold local government elections during its tenure.

She said the present government was fully prepared for local government elections and a request had already been submitted to the relevant forum for the provision of funds. As soon as the Election Commission completed the necessary preparations and announced a date, the Punjab government would be fully ready to conduct the elections.

Responding to a question about the Pakistan People’s Party, Azma Bokhari said she herself could not understand what exactly the PPP wanted. On the one hand, she said, the party wanted to remain in government; on the other, it wanted development funds, a role in transfers and postings, while simultaneously seeking to act as the opposition. “The PPP should first clarify its policy,” she said.

She said the PPP had been governing Sindh for 18 years and should spend the resources received through the NFC and other sources on the people of the province. The people of Sindh, she said, were facing problems related to sanitation, transport and basic facilities. She said if the people of Karachi and Sindh finally received the development and prosperity they had been waiting for, no one would be happier than the people of Punjab.

Azma Bokhari said those giving Punjab advice on governance should first resolve the problems of their own people.

She said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had demonstrated practical performance by making water bottling plants operational in four districts within just two months and delivering free clean drinking water to people at their doorsteps.

She said those who had failed to improve roads, streets and sewerage systems in their own province should examine their own performance before lecturing Punjab on governance.

Responding to a question about the facilities available to Imran Khan in jail, Azma Bokhari said she was prepared to take up the challenge that if any convicted person in the history of Pakistan, or even the world, had received such luxurious facilities in a jail, she would be ready to answer for it.

She said that when Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was imprisoned before becoming Chief Minister, she had been offered B-Class facilities. She was told that she would be granted B-Class if she submitted a written request, but she categorically refused to accept it.

Azma Bokhari said the letter written by Maryam Nawaz was still saved on her phone, in which she had clearly stated that she did not want B-Class facilities and that she had not availed herself of them. She said the position of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was clear: politics was about public service, performance and resolving the problems faced by the people.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026