Daily Times

There is a country where the needs of the ordinary people stand second to political whims. Where whether you are worthy of a chance at life or deserve to be heard depends not on the power of your vote but on which income bracket you belong to.

This is Pakistan. Against a typical governance model that goes back decades, springs forward a woman who is given confidence by millions in the country’s heartland, Punjab to usher in a new, changed era. She is silenced, told to get in line or learn a thing or two from political allies who dabble in more talk, less action. Her mantra remains clear: no-nonsense, only performance. She is Maryam Nawaz, a woman who tore through her critics and spent the last few months perfecting the administration of the most populous province of the country.

Convincing inflation-stricken people to give her the vote of confidence was a tremendously hard feat, indeed but today, as they see her constantly on her toes, trying to bring a revolution in every sector, they too must feel some optimism about a better tomorrow.

Surveys assure us how Punjab’s first woman Chief Minister – Maryam Nawaz – made her province speak louder over significant steps in health, education, agriculture, and civic facilities sectors. Reaching the first 100-day mark, she earned praise from her voters for implementing a decrease in the price of Roti – a staple food item. Then, came the solar revolution wherein she announced support for vulnerable segments of society with a myriad of schemes. providing a “Ramadan package” of Rs 30 billion for the unprivileged, approving the start of a metro bus project in three cities, and working on a plan for an underground train project in Lahore were just some of the earmarks.

She is Maryam Nawaz, a woman who tore through her critics and spent the last few months perfecting the administration of the most populous province of the country.

As accusations grew from other provinces, she became more steadfast in her promise to her residents: more work, more progress, more change. Since she has a reputation to maintain now, this month saw her think hard and come up with an unprecedented relief in the electricity prices for consumers in her province. Why unprecedented? Because provinces are known for demanding more from the centre to hand out the smallest of reliefs.

In this day and age, where some of her colleagues offer their people prayers or explanations about dire constraints, Maryam found the courage to look deep within the budget and scoop out some funds to pay for the campaign. Sensing this is not enough to help the battered common man rise to his true potential, she comes up with a scheme to help him land his own house, a dream shared by millions. Apna Chhat Apna Ghar would prove to be a game changer for all those who bought empty promises from different parties.

Following her commitment to revolutionising the health sector by expediting health projects, she has vowed the construct and revamping of the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) with major hospitals within a year.

Air ambulance, stipends, increased allowances for medical professionals to work in remote areas, the list keeps getting longer and longer. Her response to her naysayers remains the same: treat me as your competition and do the same relief work in your progress. Many point out she is heading an affluent province but they should also remember that this was the same province being headed by Usman Buzdar not too while ago.

The same Lahore, which is inviting investment from the international community was then struggling to maintain its own cleanliness. May be, they should also focus on more performance and less filth-spewing. If Punjab is upping its game, who’s stopping them?

The writer is a freelance columnist.