LAHORE: Terming the Pakistan Muslim League (N)’s victory in the Azad Jammu & Kashmir elections as a clear reflection of the people’s confidence in the public service, outstanding performance, and visionary leadership of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Provincial Minister for Education Rana Sikandar Hayat and Provincial Minister for Sports & Energy Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar, said on Saturday.
The Punjab government believes in performance rather than rhetoric, which is why the public continues to place its trust in the politics of service, transparency and development.
“If other provinces also prioritise youth development, education, sports, energy and public welfare, Pakistan as a whole can achieve unprecedented progress,” they said while addressing a joint press conference at DGPR.
The provincial ministers stated that the people of Kashmir rejected the politics of slogans, negativity and baseless allegations, and instead voted for development, peace, public service and performance. They said the electoral success of PML-N in Azad Kashmir is a testament to the people-centric initiatives launched by the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Rana Sikandar Hayat said that the people of Kashmir endorsed transformational initiatives such as Electric Buses, Khelta Punjab, Danish Schools, Schools of Eminence, Suthra Punjab, Apna Ghar Apni Chhat and the Honhaar Scholarship Programme. He questioned whether similar public welfare initiatives exist in Sindh and whether its people are receiving comparable facilities.
Rana Sikandar Hayat said Punjab has emerged as a national role model in education, healthcare, sports, development and public service under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, while some provincial governments have nothing to present except criticism of Punjab’s performance. Rana urged those seeking comparisons with Punjab to first present their own provinces’ report cards on literacy, education, infrastructure and public services.
Rana highlighted that Punjab is providing laptops, merit scholarships, world-class educational facilities and quality institutions, while international students are also choosing universities and Danish Schools in Punjab.
Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar said that every department of the Punjab Government is delivering measurable results under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He said Punjab ministers are inaugurating development projects on a daily basis, while political opponents continue to criticise instead of presenting their own performance. He announced that the CM Punjab Youth Games 2026 will be the largest sporting event in the province’s history, with the participation of five million young athletes, competitions spanning 57 days, and cash prizes worth Rs. 500 million for outstanding performers.
Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar further announced that the Punjab Government is preparing to set a Guinness World Record through sports activities involving five million youth during October and November. Students from schools, colleges, universities, seminaries and special education institutions will participate in this historic initiative.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026