<\/p>\n
Amid boycotts and delays, the Punjab Assembly on Monday elected PML-N\u2019s Maryam Nawaz as the first female chief minister of the province and Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Maryam clinched an overwhelming victory with 220 votes against rival Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).<\/p>\n
Initially, the SIC \u2014 which is now home to the PTI-backed independent candidates who won the general election \u2014 had nominated Mian Aslam Iqbal, MPA-elect from Lahore, for the slot. However, it later replaced him with Aftab from Faisalabad, a former PPP jiyala, as Iqbal had not come to the House to take oath as MPA, fearing his arrest by the Punjab police.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the session today, Maryam first visited her mother\u2019s grave and then arrived at the Punjab Assembly, which was scheduled to convene at 11am.<\/p>\n
However, the session began almost two hours later than scheduled as the SIC alleged its MPAs were not allowed to enter the assembly premises. When the ball finally got rolling at 1pm, 103 SIC lawmakers staged a walkout.<\/p>\n
Following the boycott, Speaker Malik announced that the session would continue in the absence of the SIC members and signalled the MPAs present in the house to gather on opposite sides of the aisle after which voting was held.<\/p>\n
Upon the completion of the process, the results were announced and Maryam was declared the 30th chief minister of Punjab and the first woman to rule the largest province of the country.<\/p>\n
After the election, Maryam, alongside her father Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif, took oath as the Punjab chief minister at a ceremony at the Governor House.<\/p>\n
In her an hour and a half-long victory speech \u2014 during which she held a frame of her late mother Kulsoom \u2014 Maryam stated that she was upset at the opposition boycott. \u201cI wish they had been a part of the political and democratic process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the opposition was present today, and if they had protested during my speech, I would have been happy,\u201d said Maryam. She thanked the opposition for \u201cputting her through a struggle which has no comparison\u201d, citing the numerous court cases, the imprisonment of her father and the death of her mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to give a message to the opposition: the doors of my chamber and heart will always remain open for them as they are for the members of my party,\u201d Maryam said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is natural that when people are subject to victimisation the way I have been, they harbour hatred. I want to say today, that I do not seek revenge, nor do I have hatred for anyone,\u201d she clarified.<\/p>\n
Maryam further highlighted that history was made with her election today and dedicated the victory to all the women in the country. \u201cThis is a testament that being a woman [or] a daughter will not come in the way of your dreams,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Maryam also thanked her father, PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif, for his \u201chandholding\u201d and for imparting invaluable advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives me immense pride today to be in the same seat that a visionary like Nawaz Sharif was in, who is the only person among 250 million Pakistanis to have held the position of prime minister three times,\u201d she stressed and vowed to take forward the PML-N\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
She also stated that the PML-N\u2019s key objectives during her tenure would be the provision of employment, education and healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was born in an affluent household but [\u2026] I got a chance to hold direct interactions with the common people and I am aware of their problems [\u2026] I know the expectations they have from the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, from today onwards, after the oath, I will go to my office and begin the implementation of my manifesto,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that five years are too little, 24 hours aren\u2019t enough. Not from tomorrow, but from today, after I take the oath, I will act on my manifesto as soon as I get to my office,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also announced a Ramazan relief package, Nigheban<\/em>, for the province. She said it included essentials worth Rs6.5 to Rs7 million which would be distributed to the public during Ramazan.<\/p>\n \u201cThe package will be delivered to their doorstep,\u201d she said. Maryam added that marketplaces providing essential items at subsidised rates would also be set up.<\/p>\n She added that she planned to transform Punjab into an \u201ceconomic hub\u201d by creating an enabling environment for businessmen. She said the government\u2019s job was to create policies and regulations, adding that she had plans to enhance public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n She added that \u201cincentives were necessary\u201d for the private sector in order to foster economic stability.<\/p>\n She further said that free medicines would be provided at every government hospital across the province from today. She vowed to build one state-of-the-art hospital in every city of Punjab.<\/p>\n Maryam also stated that Punjab\u2019s first air ambulance would be announced within the next 12 weeks to improve healthcare for the people living in mountainous and hilly areas.<\/p>\n In her speech, Maryam also asserted that the safety of women in the province was her first priority. \u201cTherefore, I am announcing a dedicated helpline for women,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said women would also be provided proper facilities, including separate washrooms and daycare centres, at workplaces. \u201cHarassing any woman is Maryam Nawaz\u2019s red line,\u201d she affirmed.<\/p>\n CM Maryam also lauded Gulber Circle ASP Shehr Bano for protecting<\/a> a girl wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy on it from an attack by a charged mob in Lahore yesterday.<\/p>\n