Announces to provide 100,000 electric bikes this year; Orders construction of girls’ hostel at University of Sahiwal
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming Punjab is entering the era of artificial intelligence while the province remains in the “Stone Age.”
Addressing a laptop distribution ceremony for students in Sahiwal, Maryam Nawaz said those who claimed to have politically educated the public had instead destroyed people’s lives. She maintained that nobody had ended PTI’s government, alleging that the party had brought its own government to an end.
Maryam Nawaz said it was the first long march that ended with the fall of its own government. She questioned how one province could launch an attack against another province or the federal government, adding that the protest had ultimately undermined PTI’s own government.
She said people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would now see what development meant, while emphasising that she had entered public service with a commitment to serving people.
The Chief Minister distributed ‘Honhaar’ scholarships among 1,500 students from various educational institutions and provided laptops to 4,700 male and girlstudents in University of Sahiwal.
Highlighting the province’s technological initiatives, Maryam Nawaz said AI laboratories were being established in Punjab, describing the province as entering the AI era.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned to take steps for the construction of a girls’ hostel at the University of Sahiwal and the restoration of scholarships for nurses.
The chief minister congratulated the students and their parents and paid special tribute to the teachers of the talented recipients.
Maryam Nawaz announced that as many as 100,000 electric bikes will be provided to students this year. “Despite budgetary difficulties and limited financial resources, the Punjab government was going to provide 100,000 electric bikes to young people,” she remarked and added, “parents should empower their daughters and make them strong.”
She said the Federal government had taken money from Punjab this year, she had provided it. “How can I refuse now?” she asked. Referring to applications and registrations for 100,000 bikes, the chief minister said a large number of people had registered when applications were invited.
She said Punjab’s treasury belonged to the people and that she had opened its doors for the province’s sons and daughters.
She said her government had involved young people in nearly every development project. The chief minister added that instalments for electric scooters provided to students had been set at Rs3,000 to ensure the payments did not become a financial burden.
The initiative aims to facilitate young people’s travel and create opportunities for them. She stressed that measures for young people would continue despite financial difficulties and that provincial resources would be spent on public welfare.
She noted that incidents of livestock theft in rural areas have decreased by 80 percent and a significant decline in the crime rate has been recorded in Punjab. “Seeing the zeal and passion of our spirited youth I will say no one can defeat Pakistan,” Maryam Nawaz said.
Maryam Nawaz said we have made even the streets and neighborhoods of Punjab safe and there is now a rule of law in Punjab.
“Those traveling in electric buses have remained unaffected by the burden of rising petrol and diesel prices,” she said.
The chief minister credited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif with building an extensive motorway network across the country. She said officials who had recently arrived from Karachi had praised Punjab’s government departments for their focus on public service, adding that visitors from other provinces appreciated Punjab’s performance.
Maryam Nawaz announced that 3,000 electric buses would operate across Punjab and said the service fare remained Rs20. She added that electric buses would be introduced in all tehsils of the province.
The Punjab chief minister said she had been scheduled to arrive by helicopter, but the flight was cancelled in the morning due to rain in Lahore, after which she decided to travel by road.
She said she thought it was not possible for the children to wait for her while she failed to arrive.