LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced that the Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence in Jhelum will become operational on December 15. She also announced the launch of Green Buses in Dina, Sohawa and Pind Dadan Khan in January.
While addressing a ceremony for the distribution of Honhaar Scholarships and laptops among students in Jhelum, the Chief Minister said billions of rupees worth of development projects was being executed, adding that Maryam Nawaz had not embezzled even a single penny of public money. “I swear I will not spare any minister if evidence of corruption emerges against them.”
“Those who have objections should explain why they are sitting as ministers. Why don’t they resign and go home?” she asked.
She said those who had earned notoriety for corruption and bribery were still sitting outside the country. “I am not claiming that corruption has been completely eliminated. But when I come to know about corruption in Punjab, I pursue the matter relentlessly. Is there no corruption in other provinces? The people who looted public money and indulged in corruption during 13 to 14 years of rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are now being exposed.”
She said she was speaking about Punjab, while other provinces were answerable to their own people. Every penny in Punjab was being spent on public welfare and development, she added. “We will recover the looted money from those who have betrayed public trust.”
The Chief Minister said her government believed in performance rather than rhetoric. The PML-N repeatedly returned to power because of its public service, she added. “Popularity is reflected in public support. People vote for service, not political narratives.”
Referring to the Lillah-Jhelum Road project, she said some people would now claim ownership of the initiative. “If it was your project, why did you not complete it during your four-year government? They are good at talking but fail to deliver.”
She said her government faced criticism whenever it undertook development work, but remained committed to fulfilling the aspirations of young people. “Let children dream; Maryam Nawaz will work day and night to turn their dreams into reality.” Addressing female students, she urged them to move forward confidently and not allow anyone to tell them that certain professions or achievements were beyond their reach.
Congratulating the parents of talented students, she said deserving students were being rewarded for their hard work. Parents sent their children to educational institutions with countless dreams, and those who fulfilled their aspirations deserved recognition.
She said more than 100,000 scooters were being provided to students across Punjab, adding that recipients would also receive proper training. Students were being provided free travel facilities on Green Buses across the province.
Maryam Nawaz said 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence were being established throughout Punjab. Referring to the school in Attock, she said a private grammar school and a government-run Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence were located side by side, but the government school offered much better facilities.
She challenged critics to identify a public-sector school outside Punjab that matched the standard of the Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence. The schools featured air-conditioned classrooms, modern laboratories and highly qualified faculty, facilities that were not even available at some private schools charging Rs100,000 in fees.
She said 50,000 schools across Punjab were providing education to millions of children. “Education is the best investment because every child is an ambassador of Pakistan.” The success of children would not only bring happiness to their parents but also benefit the country and nation, she added.
The Chief Minister said her government had broken the longstanding tradition of restricting development projects to major cities. She had spent entire days in Sahiwal, Attock and Mandi Bahauddin and would do the same in Jhelum. Young people were previously misled through narratives, but today they could see development taking place for themselves, she added.
“The Green Buses operating in Lahore and Rawalpindi are the same as those running in Khushab, Layyah and Bhakkar. There is no discrimination.” She said thousands of kilometres of roads had been constructed, with more development work carried out in smaller cities than in Lahore.
She said patients were receiving free stents, pacemakers and other cardiac treatment at the Jhelum Cath Lab. “Could anyone have imagined receiving such treatment in Jhelum in the past?”
Cath labs had been launched in 25 smaller districts, while Punjab’s largest public-sector cancer hospital was being established in Lahore, she added.
Recalling an example, she said a driver working in Dubai had travelled from Faisalabad to Jhelum on the advice of his sister to receive a heart stent. In the past, patients from Jhelum had to travel to Rawalpindi or Lahore for cardiac treatment. “Did people from major cities ever travel to smaller cities for medical treatment before?”
The Chief Minister said loans had been provided for 250,000 houses under the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar programme over the past one-and-a-half to two years. She had recently met a woman in Jhelum who previously paid Rs15,000 in rent but was now paying an instalment of Rs14,000 for her own house.
She said hundreds of families who lacked financial resources had managed to construct their homes within months through the loan scheme. “Why were laptops, scholarships, cath labs and housing loans not provided in the past? Earlier, news from smaller cities highlighted problems; today, it highlights development.”
She also praised the newly developed market in Jhelum, saying its beauty and facilities could rival those of markets in major cities.
Maryam Nawaz said her government had established a system in which no personal reference, recommendation or influence was required, and all services were provided purely on merit. “My promise is that if you deserve promotion on merit, no power in the world can stop your progress.”
She said government jobs in Punjab were being given to deserving poor candidates on merit rather than to wealthy individuals through personal recommendations.
Referring to an incident in which a salesgirl was allegedly assaulted at a garment shop, she said the person responsible would remember the strong response from the police. She added that, for the first time, the Punjab government was standing with ordinary citizens and would continue to do so.
“No influential person can dare to assault a poor citizen now. Arrogance of power will not be tolerated under the Maryam Nawaz government,” she said.
She said some self-proclaimed intellectuals were uncomfortable with the government’s policies because the administration was standing with poor people and ensuring justice. There were so many development projects in every city of Punjab that even after spending an entire day there, she could inspect only 30 percent of them.
Referring to the recent by-elections in Gujranwala and Sahiwal, the Chief Minister said all political opponents had joined forces, while proscribed organisations had also made every effort to influence the outcome. However, the PML-N had emerged victorious.
“People have grown tired of rhetoric and empty promises. No political narrative can compete with public service,” she said.
She added that people increasingly preferring government hospitals and schools over private institutions because of improvements in public-sector facilities.
Expressing her commitment to expanding quality education, she said she wanted every child in Punjab to benefit from the Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence model.
The Chief Minister said opposition parties were intensifying their activities as the next elections approached, but had failed to deliver any meaningful development during their tenure. “In just three years, we have initiated projects worth billions and trillions of rupees.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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