A controversial statement made by Maryam Nawaz, the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, at the inauguration of the provincial intelligence center, has become the cause of intense political and social controversy across Pakistan.
Maryam Nawaz claimed that Punjab is more threatened by its neighboring provinces (Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh) than by neighboring countries (India, Afghanistan) and that terrorism comes to Punjab from there. Her statement is being severely criticized as humiliation of the other three federal units, a sense of superiority and a mentality of considering Pakistan limited to only “Punjab”.
Addressing the ‘Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Center’ in Lahore, the Punjab Chief Minister said:
“The thing is, unfortunately, that the threats I have for Punjab are less than those from neighboring countries and more than those from my neighboring provinces. Terrorism comes to Punjab from the tri-border areas and the borders of other provinces.”
He further said that Punjab has secured the province’s borders by spending billions of rupees on AI and modern drone technology, which shows that other provinces are being considered only as a source of danger instead of peace and security.
Maryam Nawaz’s statement has drawn strong reactions from all provinces, calling it a display of prejudice, arrogance and neglect of federal units against smaller provinces:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi termed the statement as extremely prejudiced and said, “Declaring three federal units as bases for terrorism is tantamount to further destroying the country. Maryam Nawaz seems to be a friend of India but has a problem with Pakistan’s border provinces.”
Asad Qaiser (former speaker) termed the statement as ‘insulting’ and said that the sacrifices of the martyrs and police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been ridiculed.
Mohsin Dawar said, “The terrorism that you are calling a threat to Punjab today is the architect of your own Punjabi elite. You are only feeling the heat, we have been burning for decades.”
Member of the National Assembly Balochistan Jamal Raisani made a direct attack on Maryam Nawaz’s behavior, saying:
“Punjab is not threatened by the neighboring provinces and their people, but by your (Maryam Nawaz’s) thinking. Avoid unnecessary profiling of citizens of other provinces.”
Journalist Benazir Shah pointed out that this language of ‘Punjab’ versus ‘other provinces’ reinforces the long-standing sense of superiority and arrogance that has been causing severe injustice and deprivation in smaller provinces. She likened it to Shehbaz Sharif’s old statement about asking the Taliban to spare Punjab. The appeal was made.
Ammar Ali Jan said that such racist comments by Maryam Nawaz strengthen the hands of those elements who want instability and hatred in the country.
On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari defended Maryam Nawaz, saying that critics are unaware of the facts, and the Chief Minister’s priority is to ensure security and governance through modern technology, while foreign affairs are the responsibility of the federation.
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