Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said political narratives, allegations and criticism had a limited “shelf life”, asserting that public service and development work ultimately determined electoral success.

She was speaking at a Honhaar Scholarship and laptop distribution ceremony at Government Comprehensive High School in Jhelum.

During her address, Maryam said voters did not support political narratives but instead judged political parties by their public service record. She cited the PML-N’s victories in recent local elections in Sahiwal and Gujranwala, despite opposition parties having “joined hands” against her.

“No matter how much you talk or how many claims you make, if you have not served the people, there comes a day when you are deprived [of public support],” she said.

“If some people have objections and are levelling allegations of corruption against the Punjab government, why don’t they resign from the cabinet?” the provincial chief executive said, in an apparent reference to Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik’s recent allegations of corruption against the Punjab government.

She maintained that there had been no corruption in the development projects worth trillions of rupees launched by her government over the past three years.

Referring to the opposition’s criticism of her government, Maryam said attempts were being made to distract her as elections drew closer.

She said she was answerable to the people for the expenditure of public money, adding that she would not spare any minister or official against whom evidence of corruption or bribery was presented.

“I have not said that corruption has completely ended in Punjab,” she said.

The chief minister said she would not comment on other provinces, as their respective governments were answerable to their own populations. However, she claimed that Punjab was the only province where the chief minister pursued a new corruption case every day.

Maryam asserted that her government had broken the tradition of concentrating development spending in major cities.

She cited the expansion of the Green Bus service to cities including Jhelum, Khushab, Layyah, Bhakkar, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Multan, saying similar transport facilities and infrastructure were being provided across the province.

The chief minister also highlighted the establishment of Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence, saying they were comparable to expensive private schools.

She said the schools offered facilities such as air-conditioned classrooms, computer laboratories, artificial intelligence laboratories and science laboratories, along with qualified faculty.

Maryam also praised provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat for his work in the education sector. She announced that 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence would be established, with work on the initiative in Jhelum scheduled to begin on Dec 15.

She further said the government was establishing cardiac treatment facilities in 25 cities where such services had previously been unavailable. Patients visiting catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) at public hospitals would be able to receive procedures, including angiograms, angioplasty, stenting and pacemaker implantation, free of cost, she added.

She further said cancer hospitals were being established in every divisional headquarters, while the country’s first government-run cancer hospital was being built in Lahore.

On Friday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that Salik’s recent corruption allegations against the Punjab government are part of efforts to set the ground for an “alternative arrangement”.

He alleged that Salik’s allegations “are part of setting the stage for some post-period”.

“This statement was given selectively against Punjab. Corruption is prevalent everywhere in Pakistan. […] I have tweeted about it many times,” he added.

Asif continued: “There is an attempt to create an alternative arrangement — to discredit incumbent people so that a fresh team can be presented. Whoever is behind this, that is what I was signalling to. Please do not ask me anything more than this; I can share my personal assessment.”

What did Salik say?

During a talk show on a private television channel last week, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader praised former Punjab chief minister and his uncle Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, further criticising the incumbent provincial administration headed by Chief Minister Maryam and alleging that he regularly heard complaints of corruption.

He also questioned lavish government spending, particularly the use of an official aircraft, arguing that public representatives should remain mindful of the country’s economic difficulties. He said officials using government aircraft should be required to demonstrate the tangible outcomes and public benefits of their trips.

He also called for greater ministerial accountability, proposing that federal and provincial ministers should be empowered to perform their duties while also being held accountable for their performance.

Salik’s remarks carry particular political significance given the fractured relationship between the Chaudhry family and the PTI leadership. Salik, the younger son of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, belongs to a family whose political loyalties have diverged sharply since the ouster of Imran Khan’s government in 2022 through a no-confidence vote.

While Elahi and his son, former federal minister Moonis Elahi, aligned themselves with the PTI, the Shujaat family chose to stand with the Sharifs. Salik’s elder brother, Shafay Hussain, is also part of CM Maryam’s cabinet in Punjab.

Last Tuesday, CM Maryam said she had sent a Rs5 billion defamation notice to Salik, demanding that he retract his remarks.

She claimed the PML-Q leader’s anger stemmed from neither corruption nor progress and the issue was that she had changed the deputy commissioner of Gujrat a few days earlier, whereas Salik wanted a DC of his choice to be appointed.

Meanwhile, responding to Maryam’s remarks, Salik said he stood by his statement and had responded honestly to a question during the interview.