Maryam breaks ground for Rasul Medical College, vows action against influential offenders

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday announced a medical college at the University of Rasul in Mandi Bahauddin district.

Addressing students at the University of Rasul, she announced that admissions to the new medical college in Mandi Bahauddin would begin in January 2027

The chief minister said that the medical college would expand access to medical education for students from Mandi Bahauddin and surrounding areas, reducing the need to travel to other cities for higher studies.

Maryam Nawaz also distributed ThinkBook laptops and scholarship cheques to university, nursing and medical college students during her visit, aimed at supporting students pursuing higher education.

She said that the government was also working to establish a state-of-the-art teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Health Sciences to support medical education and provide healthcare facilities.

The chief minister said that the University of Rasul had expanded significantly, with enrolment rising from 149 students before she took office to nearly 3,000. The government had added new academic disciplines and developed infrastructure worth billions of rupees, she said.

The additional disciplines included social sciences and humanities, life sciences, business management, medical and health sciences, engineering and technology, and computer sciences.

Maryam Nawaz said the expansion was intended to enable students from the district and neighbouring areas to pursue higher education closer to home.

Merit-based scholarships, laptops

The chief minister distributed laptops and Honhaar scholarship cheques among students, congratulating the recipients and describing the financial assistance as their right rather than a personal favour from the government.

“Those who deserved this money should have received it, and that right has reached you,” she said, adding that public funds should support students based on their abilities and needs.

She challenged students to identify any instance in which political affiliation, personal influence or a recommendation had determined the award of a laptop or scholarship.

Maryam Nawaz said that merit would remain the sole criterion for the distribution of educational assistance, adding that she did not want financially privileged or influential individuals to deprive deserving students of opportunities.

She urged students to make the most of the assistance, saying they could go on to become engineers, doctors, teachers, civil servants and future leaders.

The chief minister also praised students for their expressions of patriotism and urged them to respect their parents, acknowledging the sacrifices families made to support their children’s education.

She said more than 68 per cent of Pakistan’s population was under the age of 30, making investment in education and opportunities for young people essential for the country’s future.

Electric-bike distribution from November 5

Maryam said the distribution of electric bikes to students across Punjab would begin on November 5, with pink bikes for female students and black bikes for male students.

She said the initiative was intended to help students travel independently to schools, colleges, universities and workplaces while reducing the financial burden on their families.

The scheme would particularly benefit female students by improving their mobility and enabling them to travel without depending on relatives for transport, she said.

The chief minister has previously announced that 100,000 electric bikes would be distributed under the provincial youth initiative. The scheme had received more than 1.2 million registrations, according to reports of her remarks at a student event in Sahiwal earlier this month.

Maryam Nawaz vows action against influential offenders

Turning to law and order, the chief minister said her government would protect citizens regardless of their financial standing or political connections, warning that influential people accused of committing crimes would not be exempt from the law.

She cited incidents involving the alleged assault of a female scooter rider in Lahore and the beating of a petrol station employee by a customer who had been asked not to smoke because of the fire risk.

Maryam Nawaz said that she had intervened in both cases and urged the victims to stand up to their alleged assailants, arguing that people should not be intimidated by wealth or influence.

She also referred to the death of a 15-year-old orphan who was allegedly run over by a workshop owner in Multan after refusing to work, saying the state had a responsibility to protect vulnerable citizens who lacked family support.

The chief minister said she would raise concerns with the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief justice of the Lahore High Court about the release on bail of suspects accused of violent offences.

She argued that offenders should face consequences that would deter them from committing further crimes and said she would seek discussions with the senior judges to help ensure the safety and dignity of women, children and other citizens.

She said rape and harassment cases that previously went unreported were now being registered, with suspects arrested within two hours.

She said closing legal loopholes that allow suspects to secure bail could help curb crime, adding that her government would not be intimidated.

“You are not inferior to anyone,” she told the audience, urging people to stand up for their rights.

Maryam said society had long accepted the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy, including incidents in which influential people assaulted or humiliated ordinary citizens.

“When a rich person slaps a poor person, that slap is not just on the poor person’s face; it is on the face of society as a whole,” she said, adding that such behaviour would no longer be tolerated.

She urged people to consider how they would react if the victims of recent incidents were members of their own families.

“If the orphaned child who died after being hit by a vehicle were your child, what would you do?” she asked. Referring to a female motorcyclist who was allegedly dragged to the ground and assaulted, she asked the audience to imagine if the victim were their daughter. She also cited an incident in which a petrol station employee was slapped, asking how people would feel if the victim were their father.

Maryam urged victims of violence to report incidents to the authorities, saying the provincial government and police would support them.

She also defended her decision to publicise images and videos of suspects, saying she wanted the public to know that people accused of abusing their power would be held accountable.

“No poor person’s dignity should be compromised,” she said, adding that the law should apply equally to wealthy and less privileged citizens and to people with or without political connections.

The chief minister said she would remain accountable to God and the people of Punjab for her decisions and would not be deterred by the possibility of facing legal cases over her actions.

Mandi Bahauddin development projects

Maryam Nawaz also highlighted development projects in Mandi Bahauddin, including improved roads, green buses, bus stops, commercial areas, a newly inaugurated market, a food street and parks.

She said the projects were intended to improve the city’s infrastructure and provide residents with better transport, commercial and recreational facilities.

The chief minister said the government’s wider development programme included housing, road construction and public transport projects, insisting that these initiatives should also be implemented without favouritism.

She called on students to work hard, uphold the country’s dignity and use the opportunities provided to them to contribute to Pakistan’s development.

The chief minister said her government wanted to ensure access to better public transport, roads, healthcare and housing across Punjab.

Urges people to apply for housing scheme

She urged people without homes to apply for the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing scheme, saying the programme had been recognised by UN-Habitat as the world’s largest housing scheme for low-income groups. She claimed that 250,000 homes had been built in two and a half years.

Maryam said she had also received applications from two students who, despite working hard, did not have homes of their own, and pledged that they would receive houses.

She told students that those eligible for scooters, scholarships, laptops or Chromebooks should receive them, saying her government wanted young people to have the opportunities they needed to progress.

In return, she asked them to pledge loyalty to Pakistan.

“Promise me that you will remain loyal to your country,” she said.

Maryam criticised calls for young people to take to the streets, attack police, damage public infrastructure or carry sticks fitted with nails.

“No mother would want to put stones or weapons in her children’s hands,” she said, adding that mothers wanted their children to have laptops, scholarships and access to colleges and universities so they could build a better future.

She said Pakistan’s destiny lay in the hands of its young people and urged them to remain faithful to the country.

Maryam sought responses from students at the University of Gujrat, the University of Rasul in Mandi Bahauddin, other universities, medical and nursing colleges, and higher education department colleges before leading a chant of “Pakistan, I love you”.