- Maryam calls PM Shehbaz her mentor.
- “Learning from the very best,” she says.
- CM also praises COAS Asim Munir.
LONDON: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said that she considers herself an extension of Shahbaz Sharif, her uncle and the prime minister, in relation to the development of the province.
Speaking to the media in London, CM Maryam said: “I am trained by him, I am trying to follow his footsteps. He is my mentor, and I am learning from the very best.”
“People had apprehensions about a female chief minister since there has been no female chief minister before me, in Punjab or the whole of Pakistan,” she said.
“The people of Punjab have poured love on me. I never thought that I would get so much affection and acknowledgement. I have faced no hurdles. We work as a unit, as a team, for the development of Punjab,” the chief minister added.
The chief minister said that after India’s defeat, the world was now viewing Pakistan with a changed attitude.
She added that after India’s attack, the manner in which Pakistan responded was due to the leadership of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and the entire army, who deserved full credit for the victory.
Maryam said Field Marshal Munir had provided remarkable leadership, and that the whole world was now listening to Pakistan.
The chief minister praised the work of Crime Control Department (CCD) Punjab in cleaning the province of crimes and lawlessness.
She highlighted her government’s welfare initiatives, citing the Kissan Card and free doorstep medicine delivery as evidence of Punjab’s commitment to progress and prosperity.
“For the first time in Punjab’s history, three million people have received pay orders worth Rs10,000 at their doorstep, and 1.5 million individuals benefit from Rs3,000 monthly through ration cards,” she stated.
She left on Friday afternoon for Brazil to attend the COP30 climate summit. At the summit, she will present Punjab’s flagship projects, including Clean Punjab and e-mobility initiatives, and discuss climate-resilient regional leadership, she said.
During her visit, the chief minister is scheduled to meet key figures such as the Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the World Bank’s Global Director of Climate Change, and officials from the United Nations Development Programme.
