MULTAN/LAHORE: Responding to use of the official aircraft to visit London, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said Thursday a chief minister's trips "are never personal", insisting she had borne all trip-related expenses. Addressing the inaugural ceremony at the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture in Multan, the CM said, "It is not Maryam Nawaz's plane; it is the chief minister's plane.
Maryam Nawaz is not going to take it to Raiwind [..] all four chief ministers have this facility." She said she had served Punjab for two-and-a-half years. "I wake up, I go to work and come back in the evening [..] sometimes, I am working till so late that I fall asleep with my iPad or phone in my hand". Noting that the chief ministers of all four provinces availed the facility, she said, "It is available to everyone, but the criticism is directed only at Maryam Nawaz".
She then cautioned the audience to be wary that "the criticism is not aimed at me, [but] rather [at] Punjab's development and growth. It is directed at the mirror we hold to them [other provinces] every day." She maintained the "Rs9 billion jet" was not hers, but rather belonged to the office of the chief minister. "Tomorrow, if I go to Sargodha and have to go to Rawalpindi [..] How will I get around?" she questioned, stressing that the "most precious resource for a CM is their time".
She said that she was heavily criticised solely "because I am doing the work and have left the others in a position where they have to save face". She said that she had borne the expenses of the jet use, with the total bill amounting to Rs27.5 million. "A chief minister or prime minister is never on leave, and none of their visits is personal.
I am working while I am on the plane. I work wherever I am," CM Maryam claimed. She further contended that, given the nature of her role, she could not afford to lose contact with her government at any time.
"If I lose contact with my government on an eight-hour flight and if there is an issue, who is going to handle it?" she asked. Addressing the gathering, CM Maryam held up a "receipt" of the expenses on her phone. On the occasion, the CM inaugurated projects worth billions of rupees, including an electric bus service for Multan, road infrastructure and city development schemes and youth and education initiatives.
The chief minister congratulated the people of Multan on the launch of Green Electric Bus service that she formally inaugurated. Initially, 60 green buses were being deployed, while the number would increase to 160 within a few weeks. "Green electric buses are operating in the farthest reaches of Punjab," she said, adding that the fare was Rs20, while the service was free for women, students and senior citizens.
Persons with disabilities can use the service free of charge. She said Green Electric Bus projects were being implemented in 40 districts without discrimination. All regions of the province are equal; there is no discrimination.
CCTV monitoring has been installed to prevent incidents of harassment against women. Referring to the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan, where she was attending the inaugural ceremony, she said an "Agriculture Mall" had been established for farmers, where seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and machinery were available under one roof. She said that the Multan-Vehari Road, once known as the "Killer Road", had been transformed and the 93-kilometre journey could now be completed in less than an hour.
The road was constructed in one year at a cost of Rs35 billion. "If we get two-and-a-half years, we will completely transform the landscape of south Punjab," she said. She said 3,000 electric buses would be available for public transport by the end of the year.
She claimed the government had brought smog under control and would provide 100,000 electric bikes to students this year. She said 30,000 families would cultivate wheat on land allocated under the Apna Khhet, Apna Rozgar scheme and that wheat production would increase this year. Two "Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence" are being constructed in every tehsil.
Referring to criticism of Punjab's development projects, Maryam said some individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had come to launch an "attack" on Punjab. She alleged that the people did not recognise the person sitting on the road and that only a very small procession had passed by. She said the people of Punjab paid no heed to their rhetoric and alleged that the participants subsequently staged a drama involving a "forced abduction" and forcibly entered a Punjab Police vehicle.