PML-N’s by-election victory is a mandate for “service and prosperity,” says Azma Bukhari

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari on Tuesday hailed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) sweeping victory in the recent by-elections, declaring the outcome a “clear mandate for service, prosperity and performance.”

Addressing a press briefing, Bukhari said the contest had been “between chaos and service,” adding that voters across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had “rejected the politics of sedition, corruption and division.”

According to the minister, the electorate rewarded the PML-N for its governance record under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. She said more than 90 development projects had been initiated during the government’s short tenure of one and a half years, with continuous monitoring and performance reviews conducted every three months.

“There is no word ‘tomorrow’ in my Chief Minister’s dictionary,” she remarked. “Every project started under Maryam Nawaz is moving rapidly toward completion.”

Bukhari highlighted that 70,000 houses were currently under construction across the province, with 35,000 already completed. She added that WASA had begun work in 19 cities as part of the government’s infrastructure expansion plans.

The minister claimed that various demographic groups supported the PML-N based on targeted initiatives, students voted for laptops, women voted for security, elders for a “clean Punjab,” and farmers for the Kisan Card. She said the vote also reflected appreciation for welfare initiatives such as the Clinic on Wheels program and assistance provided to flood victims.

Commenting on KP’s by-election results, Bukhari said voters there had shown “awareness” by comparing provincial performances. “Performance and service should be compared between provinces,” she said, emphasising that the PML-N’s governance model had influenced voters beyond Punjab.

She criticised the previous PTI government, alleging that “no development plan was implemented during the PTI era.”

Bukhari said the by-elections were “unique in many ways,” adding that the results had cemented the PML-N’s commitment to public service politics. “The politics of hate has been buried forever,” she asserted. “Now no vote will be given to the politics of chaos, hatred or division.”

Framing the PML-N’s win as a vote of confidence in Maryam Nawaz’s leadership, she said: “This victory is the result of the Chief Minister’s hard work and governance. The people of Punjab have voted for service and prosperity.”