TAXILA: Punjab Governor Sardar Salim Haider Khan has said President Asif Ali Zardari is the backbone of the existing hybrid system, warning that any attempt to sideline him from the equation would cause the entire system to crumble.

He expressed these views while talking to local journalists in Pindigheb town of Attock.

Sardar Salim Haider paid tribute to the architects of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, describing it as a guarantor of the country’s security and the defence of the Muslim world.

The governor said the dream of a nuclear Pakistan envisioned by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had today become not only a guarantee of Pakistan’s survival, security and defence but also a source of strength for the entire Muslim Ummah.

Later addressing the participants of the Eid Milan party in Fatehjang town of Attock, Sardar Salim Haider Khan claimed that politicians were the most oppressed segment of the society as they remained under constant scrutiny from both the public and state institutions, while every shortcoming is often attributed solely to them despite the collective responsibility of all sectors.

The governor said negative propaganda is often directed against the Pakistan Peoples Party.

“I hold the highest constitutional office in Punjab on behalf of the PPP; I am accountable at all times and have placed my two-year performance before the media. No one has been able to level a single allegation against me,” he said.

Sardar Salim Haider thanked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the provincial education minister for approving the establishment of the University of Attock describing it a landmark project that would greatly benefit students and contribute to higher education development in the region.

He said an initial allocation of Rs1.5 billion would be released during the next fiscal year for the project.

Highlighting his welfare initiatives, the governor said he had been serving the public with the support of friends and philanthropists and had completed welfare projects worth millions of rupees.

He said a mass wedding ceremony for 120 deserving couples was recently organised, while Punjab’s largest floodlit sports tournament was successfully held at the Fatehjang Sports Stadium.

He further said free medical centres have been established in various villages of NA-50, free dialysis centres were operational across all tehsils of Attock district, and numerous filtration plants have been installed to provide clean drinking water. Hundreds of other welfare projects have also been completed for the benefit of local communities, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2026