Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that crimes against children and women were her “red line” and pledged zero tolerance against harassment and violence across the province.
Addressing a ceremony for the distribution of Honhaar Scholarships and laptops in Lodhran on Thursday, the chief minister said she considered herself a public servant rather than a ruler. She announced that 9,005 students from Multan and Bahawalpur divisions were being provided laptops, including 1,295 students from government colleges and 6,655 students from universities.
Congratulating the recipients, Maryam Nawaz said she wanted to do far more for students than providing scholarships and laptops. She said there was no discrimination among students whether they belonged to Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lodhran or Layyah, adding that all students had earned these opportunities through hard work.
The chief minister said cleanliness staff under the Suthra Punjab initiative were working day and night to keep streets, neighbourhoods, cities and villages clean. She claimed that improved policing and crime control measures had made Punjab safer, particularly for women.
She said her government was committed to protecting the dignity of mothers, sisters and daughters, adding that police now take immediate action in cases of harassment. “Crimes against children and women are my red line,” she said.
Highlighting development initiatives, Maryam Nawaz said that 125,000 houses were being constructed across Punjab, with 70,000 to 80,000 nearing completion. She also announced plans to provide free three-marla plots to deserving families.
The chief minister said around 30,000 kilometres of roads were being built over two years, while major hospitals were under construction across the province. She added that Lahore was getting its first government-run cancer hospital and that cardiac hospitals were being established in every major city. Mobile health units, she said, were providing treatment at people’s doorsteps.
Maryam Nawaz said her government had recovered nearly 2,000 properties from illegal occupation and put an end to the “dala culture” and VIP privileges. She claimed that Punjab was now free of mafias and that her government remained accountable to the people for its performance.
