CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz hails PML-N’s ‘historic by-poll win’

WEB DESK: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday declared the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) performance in the recent by-elections a “historic victory”, crediting the outcome to governance reforms rather than political sloganeering.

Speaking at a post-election gathering, the chief minister thanked the public for what she described as a decisive mandate in both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the results reaffirmed confidence in her party’s leadership. “PML-N has won back the seats it lost in 2024. This victory is a positive sign for Punjab and its people,” she said.

Maryam Nawaz used the occasion to revisit political developments of the past decade, recalling that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was removed from office in 2017 and that she herself had served time in jail. “We never boycotted elections because performance is the only real narrative,” she said, adding that the by-elections were “a referendum, not just a poll”.

Taking aim at the PTI, she claimed the party had fought the election “in the name of prisoner number 804 and still lost”, adding that its claims of popularity had “collapsed”. She said boycotts were usually announced when parties lacked confidence in their ability to win, and insisted that the PTI was now making excuses after defeat.

The chief minister said Punjab’s governance record helped voters make their choice. Listing her administration’s initiatives, she highlighted reforms in healthcare, public transport, education and flood management. She said free medicines were now available at hospitals, 1,000 clinic-on-wheels units were delivering basic health services, and mobile hospitals had provided treatment to 20 million people.

She added that Punjab’s public transport system had been transformed, with green buses operating across the province and fares kept as low as Rs20. “People from KP now travel to Punjab for medical treatment,” she noted, while criticising what she called “piles of corruption” in the neighbouring province.

Maryam further said that 150,000 sanitation workers had improved cleanliness across Punjab, while education reforms had resulted in the distribution of one lakh laptops, improved classroom availability and provision of milk packets to 1.1 million children in south Punjab. In Lahore alone, she said, 701,000 children were receiving free lunches. “No school will be left without teachers or classrooms,” she promised.

Referring to the devastating floods, she said her government had protected the dignity of affectees, rescuing five million people and ensuring rapid rehabilitation. “Today, nowhere in Punjab does it seem a flood ever happened,” she claimed, while crediting improved law and order for a 70 per cent reduction in crime.

Maryam Nawaz reiterated loyalty to her party leadership, saying: “Whether it is Shehbaz Sharif or me, this is Nawaz Sharif’s government.” She dedicated the by-election victory to the former prime minister and said the people had rewarded the PML-N for spending public money on public welfare.

“The world is amazed at how Punjab eliminated smog in a year. When resources are not reaching people, they should question their rulers,” she said, concluding that every city and region in Punjab was equal in the government’s priorities.