Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday stressed the importance of giving people a chance to celebrate and enjoy life as the country slowly recovers from difficult times, announcing arrangements for the Basant festival in Lahore.
Speaking in Lahore, CM Maryam Nawaz that while her government focuses on infrastructure and development, her responsibility also extends to providing people living under stress with reasons to be happy. “My job is not only to build roads and buildings,” she said.
Highlighting the impact of the political environment from 2018 to 2022, the CM noted that many young people grew up witnessing violence and were distanced from Punjab’s cultural heritage. “Some youth don’t even know what the culture of Punjab is,” she said. “During those years, people were told that the country’s situation was so bad that green belts should be destroyed, metro buses torn down, and memorials of martyrs burnt. A political divide was deliberately created, shaping the atmosphere the younger generation grew up in.”
She added that Basant, celebrated exclusively in Punjab and recognised internationally, was intended to reconnect the youth with the province’s culture. “This event has been allowed to freshen the minds of people. Everyone has felt the difficulties Pakistan faced in the past, but now Punjab is moving forward and thriving,” she said.
Maryam Nawaz assured that strict safety protocols and standard operating procedures have been put in place for Basant. “Foolproof arrangements have been made, and we hope no untoward incident occurs during the festival,” she said.
In addition to cultural revival, the CM highlighted several government initiatives aimed at improving public welfare. She said that under the Apna Ghar scheme, 115,000 homes have been provided, and projects worth billions of rupees are underway across Punjab, including the Gujranwala and Faisalabad metro bus projects.
She also noted that 10,000 children have received free heart surgeries, with medicines delivered directly to their homes, and the “Clinic on Wheels” programme is taking healthcare services to remote communities.
Maryam Nawaz also mentioned the Suthra Punjab initiative, which encourages households to participate in cleaning efforts by collecting waste door-to-door.
Addressing requests from other cities, she said that while residents of Gujranwala and Sialkot have asked to celebrate Basant locally, this year the focus will remain on Lahore to assess how the arrangements perform.
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