Responding to PPP’s Sharmila Faruqui’s statement, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari on Thursday challenged her to have a debate with her on the performances of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
She said that while the PPP had been ruling Sindh for the past 17 years, it had been hardly two years since Maryam took office as the Punjab chief minister. “You cannot enumerate 17 projects you have either initiated or completed during 17 years of your rule, while CM Maryam, on the other hand, has launched 90 projects in only one and a half years, out of which 50 have already been completed,” she said, adding, “The Punjab chief minister has so far handed over 90,000 homes to their owners besides awarding 80,000 scholarships. Apart from that, tractors have been distributed among 9,500 farmers of the province.”
Similarly, Azma said, electric bikes had been distributed among 27,000 students. “Besides that, laptops are being distributed among the outstanding students of the province for free.”
Not only that, the Punjab minister went on to say, a 1,000-bed cancer hospital and cardiology hospitals are presently under-construction. “Patients are being provided medicines free of cost, while electric buses have started plying on cities’ roads.”
“Come and have a debate with me,” Azma said while addressing Sharmila. “Let’s compare the performances of both the governments: the Sindh and Punjab governments.”
She said that the people of Karachi praised Lahore’s roads, which, she claimed, worried the PPP leaders.
“Why do you want to impose BISP on the flood-affected people of Punjab?” Azma questioned, adding CM Maryam was going to hand cheques of Rs1 million each to the flood-affected people.
“If you want to distribute Rs10, 000 among the flood victims under the BISP, we have no objections.”
Also responding to the press conference addressed by PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira, the Punjab minister asked him to look at the past of his party. “What an irony that the party, which was once headed by a woman, is now spitting venom at a female chief minister,” she lamented.
“Don’t worry about our popularity. Worry about your support in the masses,” Azma said, adding that this mudslinging by the PPP leaders would not help in their party’s resurrection.
“CM Maryam and her ministers are in the field helping the flood-affected people right from the very first day,” she said, adding, “When the PPP leaders resort to personal attacks, they will be replied in the same coin.”
PPP to boycott next Punjab Assembly session
Meanwhile, the PPP has decided to boycott the Punjab Assembly’s next session.
Sources told the 24News TV channel that the party’s Parliamentary Leader Syed Ali Hyder Gilani has asked the PPP MPAs to ensure their presence in the assembly on that day.
Under the plan, during the session, the party’s MPAs will raise their voice against the PML-N’s criticism and would later stage a walkout.
Later, they would protest against the PML-N inside and outside the House.
Reporters: Rao Dilshad and Hassan Ali