LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday criticised the performance of successive governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the province’s 13-year political record had been marked by protests, unrest and political rhetoric rather than public service delivery.
In a post on social media platform X, she tweeted: Brothers and sisters of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over thirteen years, you were given nothing but sit-ins, chaos, mudslinging, and cheap trends. If Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is now hearing talk of governor’s rule and emergency, this is not the fault of the people—it is the consequence of thirteen years of incompetence. Brothers and sisters of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, here is a question: Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are in the same country, sharing the same constitution and the same national treasury—then why does one province embark on a journey of progress while the other descends into decline and unrest? The difference is not in resources, but in intent and capability.
If Punjab can be clean, why can’t Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? Because there, it was politics, not cleanliness. If deserving children of Punjab can receive scholarships, why can’t the children of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? Because there, the priority was sit-ins, not children.
If mothers in Punjab are carefree, why are mothers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa living in fear? Because there, the focus was
not on protecting the people, but on marching on Islamabad.
If green electric buses can run in Punjab, why not in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? Because there, projects ran only on social media, not on the ground. If paved roads can reach the villages of Punjab, why are the roads of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa left incomplete? Because there, promises were made, but work was not. If free medicine, field hospitals, and clinics-on-wheels are at the doorstep in Punjab, why is a patient in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa helpless? Because there, power was held dearer than the health of the people.
The answer to “why” is one and the same: thirteen years of chaos and incompetence! Punjab has proven that governments run not on theatrics, but on work, work, and more work. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now needs not disruption, but service.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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