Senior journalist Hamid Mir said Maryam Nawaz had described herself as being on leave in London a few days ago but now says a chief minister is never on leave to justify using the government aircraft.
Speaking on his Geo news programme, he said the Punjab chief minister used a highly harsh tone while addressing a ceremony today and alleged that people were troubled because she had travelled to London on her plane.
However, he said, there were considerable contradictions in her position and she should reflect on them. Mir said that a few days ago, she had stated in London that she was on leave, but today, in an attempt to justify the personal use of the government aircraft, she said that a chief minister is never on leave.
One minister had said that the aircraft was purchased for Air Punjab and that a fleet was to be established, adding that planes would have to be purchased or leased for Air Punjab. Another minister said, “Why was the plane purchased? It was purchased, yes, it was purchased.
The chief minister bought the plane to provide relief to the people, and she was absolutely right to buy it.” It may be recalled that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, responding to criticism over her use of the government aircraft, said she was being criticised for travelling on the government plane to attend her daughter’s graduation, but she had personally paid all the expenses and was answerable to the public, not to any YouTuber.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the electric bus service in Multan, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said there was severe criticism that she had booked a government aircraft. She said she had thought that if the plane was being criticised, she would travel to Multan on a Qingqi instead.
She said the plane belonged not to Maryam Nawaz but to the chief minister, and all four chief ministers had aircraft, yet only she was being criticised. She said she was being criticised for travelling on the government plane to attend her daughter’s graduation, but she had personally paid all its expenses, amounting to Rs22.5 million.
Maryam Nawaz said she was being criticised because she worked, and those criticising her received Dollars. She asked who those criticising her were and said that before becoming chief minister, she had travelled abroad on commercial flights.
She said she would travel by aircraft wherever necessary for the prosperity of the people, and that her office continued to function even when she was on a plane. She said she would not respond to the criticism and that it did not matter to her.
She said Punjab’s development work faced extensive criticism, adding that the criticism was directed at the progress being shown as a mirror. She said that visiting other provinces felt like going back to 1,901.5, while Rs300 billion had been allocated in Punjab for the Apna Ghar, Apni Chhat scheme, but nobody discussed it or the service being provided to the people of Punjab.
She said she wished someone would acknowledge that development work had also been carried out in their province. The Punjab chief minister declared the visit of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to Punjab a failure, saying that a few people had come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to attack Punjab but nobody asked them anything and they remained seated on the road.
She said the people of Punjab refused to recognise them; after being rejected by the people, they staged a self-engineered abduction. She said they asked for a chair, but were refused one because it could be stolen.
She said every person living in Punjab was her responsibility. During the current financial year, green buses would operate in every district of Punjab, with 3,000 electric buses available to serve the public.
She said green buses were being introduced in areas where people had never even heard of government transport. One hundred thousand electric bikes would be provided to students, and the world’s most expensive cancer machine had been installed in a hospital.
She said law and order had been improved for public safety and that nobody else had had the courage to do so. She added that people had tried to frighten her with cases, but she was not afraid. Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the electric bus service in Multan.
She boarded an electric bus from the e-bus stop established on Agro Mall, Shujaabad Road, and travelled to the venue at Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture. She received a grand public welcome on Old Shujaabad Road, where thousands of children, young people, students and elderly residents gathered.
Thousands of maunds of roses were showered on her vehicle, while children carrying flowers and pictures walked alongside it. Maryam Nawaz formally launched the electric bus project digitally. She received a warm welcome upon reaching the venue, which echoed with chants of her name.
Provincial Transport Minister Bilal Akbar briefed the gathering on the e-bus project. Forty-five electric buses will operate in Multan in the first phase on routes from Vehari Chowk to Nishtar Hospital, Ghanta Ghar to Ibn Sina Hospital, and Dera Adda via DHA Women University to the E-Khidmat Centre.
Another route will run from Chowk No. 9 to Nag Shah, Nadraabad Phatak. Electric bus services will also be available from Multan Vehari Chowk to Qasim Bela and from Ghanta Ghar to Qadirpur Raan. In the first phase, 160 electric buses will operate in different cities and areas of the Multan Division, while a total of 205 electric buses will operate across the division.
