Govts should be allowed to complete their terms: CM Maryam

LAHORE: 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. She was addressing a delegation of the National Command Authority Senior Officers Leadership Course on Thursday, according to an official 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. The chief minister said good governance and performance were essential to tackling internal security 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. 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’ 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. 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. 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. Referring to criticism of her government, CM…