CM Maryam says her govt presented biggest tax-free budget of Punjab's history

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz says her government has presented the biggest tax-free budget of Rs5,335 billion this year in the history of the province.

Speaking in the Punjab Assembly, Maryam thanked Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan for effectively conducting the budget session. Poking fun at the rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), she said the opposition deserves the credit for her party’s rise to power. Criticising her political rivals, she asserted that those who once sought the removal of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif have now sidelined themselves through their own failures. “Those who chanted ‘minus Nawaz’ are now themselves minus. Even Aleema Khan has admitted this,” she said, referencing a recent remark by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister.

Maryam condemned past governments for using South Punjab as a political slogan, announcing instead the province’s largest clean drinking water project, starting in the region. “We’ve moved beyond hollow promises,” she said. Despite vocal protests from the opposition during her address, Maryam remained composed. “Let them protest. I respect their democratic right,” she responded.

She unveiled what she described as a “historic” and “tax-free” budget of Rs 5,335 billion, praising Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and Finance Secretary Mujahid Sherdil for aligning it with Nawaz Sharif’s economic vision. She claimed domestic debt had nearly been cleared without imposing new taxes, crediting improved tax collection for increased revenue.

On foreign affairs, Maryam hailed what she called a “victory over India,” lauding the military and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while condemning Israeli strikes on Iran and reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the Iranian people.

Emphasizing balanced development, she promised fair distribution of resources across all districts, “from Bhakkar to Lahore.”

Concluding her speech, Maryam said her political benchmark is her own family’s record. “My competition is not with others—it's with Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. I aim to surpass their service to the people,” she said. She also credited the mines and minerals department with saving Rs 30 billion and noted a 3% rise in public expenditure, including increases in salaries and pensions.