ATTOCK: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated 127 development projects in Attock, including 59 road schemes worth Rs.23 billion, during a public visit marked by large crowds and a challenge to a federal minister to provide evidence of corruption allegations against her.
Residents, party supporters and children gathered along major roads and intersections to welcome the chief minister. Her arrival was celebrated with flower petals, while Hatian Road, Kamra Road and University Road were decorated with roses.
During the visit, Maryam Nawaz moved past security barriers to meet residents and interact with children. She also invited young people to join her in opening several development projects across the district.
The projects included an Agri Mall, a land records center, a model children's home and the Fateh Jang Special Education Center, along with 59 road construction and improvement schemes.
Major road projects included the Fateh Jang-Pindi Gheb Road, Dhok Laham-Jhamat Road and Mithial Chowk-Dhok Pathan Road.
Maryam Nawaz stresses direct public contact:
Addressing the gathering, Maryam Nawaz recalled an earlier visit to Galla Mandi, where a young girl had made her way through a crowd to ask for her autograph.
She said some people had expected residents to question her performance after completing her first year as chief minister.
Reflecting on public engagement, she criticized past practices in which people were kept away from political leaders and stages. She said she preferred to remain close to residents and maintain direct contact with them.
The chief minister encouraged people to remain confident during difficult times, stressing that challenges should be met with courage and determination. She also said that the sense of fulfillment gained from serving the public could not be matched by anything else.
Attock receives new development projects:
CM Maryam Nawaz said talented children would be given the opportunity to inaugurate development projects in the district. She also claimed that Attock's main market had been improved to a level that surpassed Lahore's Liberty Market.
Discussing the city's infrastructure, she said the provincial government was working on development schemes worth billions of rupees to address long-standing waterlogging problems caused by heavy rainfall.
Maryam Nawaz challenges federal minister over corruption claims:
The chief minister also responded to allegations of corruption against her administration, saying she would be held accountable if anyone presented evidence that she had misused even a single rupee of public money.
She announced plans to send a defamation notice to Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain, demanding evidence to support his accusations or face legal action.
The dispute followed remarks by Chaudhry Salik Hussain, who criticized the Punjab government's development priorities and alleged that political interests were influencing the distribution of public funds. The federal minister claimed that he frequently received complaints about corruption in Punjab.
He also alleged that a large portion of the province's development budget was being directed toward Lahore, while districts such as Gujrat were receiving less attention because government-backed candidates had lost elections there.
"If you cannot prove corruption, I will drag you to court," Maryam Nawaz said while responding to the allegations.
She made the remarks during the CM Honhaar Scholarships and Laptop Distribution Ceremony for students of the Rawalpindi Division at COMSATS University Attock.
The chief minister rejected the accusations and challenged the federal minister to present evidence to support his claims.
She further argued that appointments based on political recommendations could damage government institutions and undermine public interests.
