ATTOCK: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday announced that she would send a defamation notice to Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhary Salik Hussain over his allegations of corruption in the province, warning that she would drag him to court if he failed to provide evidence.
Addressing a ceremony for the distribution of laptops and Honhaar merit scholarships at the COMSTATS University in Attock, Maryam said that Salik, son of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, had claimed that cupboards in Punjab were filled with money earned through corruption.
“I have no evidence, but Punjab is full of cupboards filled with money earned through corruption,” Maryam quoted the federal minister as saying.
“I am sending him a defamation notice today. If you have evidence, bring it; otherwise, I will drag you to court,” she said.
Chaudhary Salik had told in an interview that he was hearing stories of corruption in Punjab every day, adding that some of these accounts were credible and that cupboards, rather than files, were now filled with records of alleged corruption. He said these accounts were also being documented.
The chief minister said she could take an oath that not a single rupee of public money had been misappropriated under her government.
She also questioned why Salik was part of the government if he believed Punjab’s government was corrupt.
Referring to his reported praise for former Punjab chief minister Pervez Elahi’s government, Maryam challenged him to substantiate his allegations.
Maryam said that her government had undertaken development projects worth trillions of rupees, with individual projects costing as much as Rs300 billion, and rejected allegations that public funds had been diverted through corruption.
Education and youth initiatives
Speaking at the ceremony, Maryam Nawaz praised students from Attock for their academic achievements, saying they had excelled despite limited resources.
She said the distribution of laptops and Honhaar scholarships was intended to ensure that financial constraints did not prevent talented students from continuing their education.
The chief minister pledged that no deserving student would be deprived of education because their families could not afford the necessary resources. She also said students would no longer have to rely on college and university computer laboratories to complete assignments because they lacked personal laptops or devices.
Maryam directed Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat to immediately address transport difficulties faced by students, particularly female students, at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET).
She said the provincial government was providing free transport through its Green Bus service and was also working to distribute 100,000 electric bikes, including pink bikes for female students and black bikes for male students.
The chief minister said the government was working to improve security for women so they could travel independently without facing harassment or safety concerns.
Development projects in Attock
Maryam said around 850 kilometres of roads had been constructed in Attock over the past two years, adding that the district had also received Green Buses and new bus stands.
She said the government was establishing 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence across Punjab, offering modern facilities, including air-conditioned classrooms, computer laboratories, artificial intelligence labs and science laboratories.
The chief minister said these schools were being established to provide quality education to children from low-income families without charging fees.
She also highlighted the government’s Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing programme, saying around 250,000 houses were being built for people who could not afford to construct their own homes.
Maryam said drainage and sewerage infrastructure was also being developed in Attock to address the city’s recurring waterlogging during rainfall. The work includes a new sewerage and drainage system and underground water storage tanks.
She further said the provincial government was providing free medicines and surgeries at public hospitals and working to improve healthcare facilities.
Criticism of neighbouring province
The chief minister also criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s former government, saying development had stalled once Punjab’s administrative boundary ended.
She said students from KP had also benefited from Punjab’s Honhaar scholarships and laptop schemes and had wanted to attend the Attock ceremony.
Maryam questioned why provinces with governments in power for 15 years had not provided comparable facilities, including laptops, scholarships, colleges, universities and public transport.
She said her government was focused on resolving people’s problems rather than blaming previous administrations for existing shortcomings.
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