He said blocking major roads in KP does not affect the economy of Punjab but rather damages KP’s own economic activity.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Photo:
GUJRAT:
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday lashed out at the PTI-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, accusing it of leaving the province “in the stone age” as Punjab moves forward with technology-driven development initiatives.
Addressing a laptop distribution ceremony at a university in Gujrat, Maryam compared what she described as Punjab’s progressive policies with the stagnation in KP, saying Punjab students now benefit from Honhaar scholarships, laptop programmes, the Parwaz card, green buses and technical training programmes.
“So here is Honhaar and there is incitement, but this is nothing to rejoice about,” she said, adding that she was deeply disturbed because “the people of KP were still living in the stone age.”
Maryam argued that the PTI government, which she claims has ruled KP for the past 13 years, had failed to introduce meaningful development initiatives.
“They don’t know what development is. They don’t realize that Honhaar scholarships also exist if you don’t have the resources for your child’s studies,” he said.
“They don’t know that you need to have a device, a laptop, an iPad or a computer in your hands to meet global standards in today’s era.”
Indirectly referring to the PTI’s long stay in the province, he commented that the public there “doesn’t even know what development is”, joking that the KP government’s response to every need was to provide “awareness”.
He further maintained that blocking major roads of KP does not affect the economy of Punjab but rather harms KP’s own economic activity.
During the event, Maryam played archived video clips of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during his tenure. In the images, the PTI founder can be heard threatening to remove the televisions and air conditioners from the cells of the PML-N leaders.
Replying to that, Maryam said, “I swear to God that even today, neither I nor Nawaz Sharif nor Shehbaz Sharif even thought of removing the air conditioner or turning off the food and television.”
