Those who sidelined Nawaz Sharif are now sidelined themselves: Maryam Nawaz

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said that those who once tried to sideline Nawaz Sharif have themselves now been sidelined — a fact confirmed by Aleema Khan herself.

“No one removed them; their own poor performance led to their downfall,” she stated.

During her budget speech in the Punjab Assembly, Maryam Nawaz said, “We’ve presented the largest budget in history, with the largest spending ever planned — and not imposing any new tax is nothing short of a miracle.”

She thanked the parliament for not only presenting the budget but also passing it with a majority vote. “Punjab’s domestic debt from the past 30 years has now, by the grace of God, been brought to zero in just one and a half years. Despite presenting a tax-free budget for the second consecutive year, Punjab’s in-source revenue has increased by 50%.”

While she was speaking, the opposition disrupted the session, ignoring the speaker’s rulings, shouting slogans, and protesting on the floor of the house.

Maryam said that rather than increasing taxes, they expanded the tax net. “We saved Rs30 billion in the mines and minerals sector, and I commend Minister Sher Ali Gorchani and his team for their revolutionary work.”

She added that “even under IMF conditions, we managed to save money and meet the IMF’s surplus target — which was no easy feat. Strong financial management made it possible.”

Maryam emphasized that, like last year, “we didn’t just announce projects — we actually allocated the largest development fund ever, and Rs1,013 billion have already been spent on the public.”

“I said in my first speech that my competition is not with others, but with the giants of my own party — Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif.”

She expressed gratitude to the MPAs and saluted their patience and cooperation. “Previously, the highest fund utilization was Rs585 billion. Today, we’ve exceeded that.”

Maryam affirmed that she fulfilled the promises made in her first year and is now here, “answerable to you and this parliament. I have worked without discrimination — every citizen of Punjab has an equal share in every project, whether they are from Lahore or from remote districts.”

She said areas like Bhakkar, Layyah, Rajanpur, D.G. Khan, and Rahim Yar Khan were given equal priority. “The benefits that reached big cities also reached underdeveloped regions — Maryam Nawaz does not believe in discrimination.”

Criticizing past governments, she added, “Many promises were made and broken in the name of South Punjab. We are now launching the largest clean drinking water project starting from South Punjab.”

During her speech, opposition and government lawmakers came to blows, to which Maryam smilingly remarked, “Let them carry on — you look at me. You’ve already seen enough of them. Let them speak; it’s their right.”

Maryam continued: “I didn’t want to get political today, but I’m a political animal. My sister Aleema Khan herself admitted that her brother, Imran Khan, has been sidelined. Those who once claimed Nawaz Sharif was sidelined are now themselves out of the picture — not because of anyone else, but because of their own failures.”

She also announced that shrimp farming will begin on 5,000 acres this year, and the Kisan Card has especially benefited farmers in Layyah, Rahim Yar Khan, and Bahawalpur.

In the laptop scheme, children from South Punjab also received their fair share.

“Just like a mother loves all her children equally, I, too, consider every city, village, and tehsil of Punjab equally important. Whether it’s field hospitals, mobile clinics, insulin distribution, or the 'Maryam Ki Dastak' initiative — these have become the new landmarks of Punjab.”

She also requested a video presentation of completed projects during the session, adding, “The budget Punjab received this year is unprecedented in its history.”

Maryam Nawaz proudly announced that Punjab’s first government cancer hospital, costing Rs75 million and housing 1,000 beds, is nearing completion and will be equipped with world-class doctors and equipment.

“It brings me great joy to tell the people of Punjab that this cancer hospital will become functional this year.”