LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday left for Japan via Thailand on a five-day visit.

Punjab cabinet members Marriyum Aurangzeb, Azma Bokhari, Malik Sohaib Bherth, Zeeshan Rafique, Sania Ashiq and some bureaucrats are also included in the delegation. The delegation will visit Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama and participate in the World Expo to be held in Osaka.

The delegation is expected to meet with officials of the Japanese government. The Japanese ambassador here had invited the CM to visit Japan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to visit Japan in October.

Azma Bokhari said in a statement that Japan’s visit would not only strengthen bilateral ties but also unlock new opportunities for joint ventures -- scholarships, and technology transfer. “The Punjab government remains committed to learning from global experiences and best practices to uplift the province.”

Before leaving for Japan, the CM presided over a meeting in which progress being made on clean water, water filtration plant and other development projects was reviewed.

The meeting also reviewed progress on Lahore and Punjab development projects. On this occasion, the proposal to install water filtration plants in the remote areas was also reviewed. She set a deadline of June 30, 2026, regarding the installation of water filtration plants. She ordered early completion of the construction and repair of streets in the Lahore Development Project.

She expressed her displeasure over delay in the completion of development projects. She reviewed 122 beautification projects in every city of Punjab. “Some 51 beautification projects will be completed in Lahore division, 64 in Rawalpindi, 37 in Faisalabad, 75 in Multan. 45 in Sargodha, 64 in Gujranwala, 51 in DG Khan, 61 in Bahawalpur, 53 in Gujrat and 49 in Sahiwal.”

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025