Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz emphasized the importance of allowing governments to serve full five-year terms for better governance and policy continuity during an address on Thursday. She highlighted improvements in Punjab’s security situation, claiming that areas previously deemed "no-go" are no longer problematic. Additionally, she discussed efforts to combat corruption by dismissing about 1,000 officials and strengthening border surveillance measures.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said governments that perform well should be allowed to complete their five-year terms, arguing that the lack of policy continuity in Pakistan remains a major hurdle to development.
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lack → say → development
She was addressing a delegation of the National Command Authority Senior Officers Leadership Course on Thursday, according to an official handout.
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She → address → handout
Speaking on the occasion, she said Pakistan’s “excellent image and new face” had emerged before the world during the recent conflict with India, adding that the army and other security institutions were rendering invaluable services for the country’s defence.
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army → speak → defence
The chief minister said good governance and performance were essential to tackling internal security threats.
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governance → say → threats
“We are Pakistanis first, regardless of whether we belong to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan or Gilgit,” she said, stressing the need for continuity in national policies.
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she → belong → policies
Credits PML-N’s extended rule over Punjab for ensuring policy continuity, leading to better governance; Azma says policies should not be sacrificed to ‘political changes’
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policies → credit → changes
Building on her argument for political continuity, CM Maryam said governance standards had improved because the PML-N had remained in government in the province for longer periods.
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N → build → periods
She also claimed that terrorism had been brought under control in Punjab, but acknowledged that the threat had not disappeared, adding that the provincial government remained prepared for any possible attacks.
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government → claim → attacks
The chief minister said the province previously had around 70 areas regarded as “no-go areas”, but claimed that there was no such area now.
“I am responsible for the safety of 140 million people, so I had to take decisions that had not been taken before,” she said.
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she → say → decisions
Referring to criticism of her government, CM Maryam said there were occasions when she had to choose between “protecting myself or protecting the people”, adding that she had always prioritised the public.
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she → refer → public
The chief minister said she had no personal grievances against anyone, and did not seek credit for herself.
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she → say → herself
“I ensure 100 per cent merit in Punjab, and neither accept recommendations nor do people now approach me with recommendations,” she said.
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she → ensure → recommendations
Listing her administration’s ‘achievements’, she said the government had strengthened security infrastructure, particularly in border areas, by establishing fortified posts and providing weapons and night-vision cameras.
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government → list → weapons
She also highlighted round-the-clock surveillance to detect terrorist activity.
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She → highlight → activity
The chief minister said the Punjab government had established separate groups for administration and law and order and that special attention was being given to crimes against women and children.
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attention → say → women
She said the government had dismissed around 1,000 police and revenue officials as part of measures against corruption and claimed that sustained action had created a fear of the law among officials demanding or accepting bribes.
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action → say → bribes
The chief minister said the government had established virtual police stations for women unable to visit police stations, particularly victims of domestic violence, claiming that hundreds of thousands of cases had been dealt with through the system.
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thousands → say → system
In a subsequent statement, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari also stressed the importance of policy continuity, saying that CM Maryam’s “clear stance is that governments may change, but the national vision and policies aimed at public welfare should not change”.
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vision → stress → welfare
She insisted that the country’s development was not the responsibility of any single province, government or political party; rather, it is a shared responsibility of all.
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it → insist → all
“Policies formulated for the country’s development and public welfare should not be sacrificed to political changes.”
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Policies → formulate → changes
Ms Bokhari said that if a policy introduced today is abandoned or changed tomorrow merely because of a political change, the country cannot move forward.
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country → say → change
“Pakistan needs a consistent national vision and continuity of policies instead of short-term political agendas,” she noted.
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she → need → agendas
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