Punjab minister defends ‘costly’ promotional supplement amid backlash
• Azma insists 60-page publication ‘necessary to spread awareness’
• Petition filed in Lahore High Court against PML-N over ‘misuse of public funds’
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Friday defended an eyebrow-raising 60-page newspaper supplement published in most national dailies by the Maryam Nawaz administration, dismissing criticism from the PTI as “propaganda”.
The supplement, published on Feb 26, highlighted the “achievements” of the Punjab government in its first year under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s leadership. However, it sparked widespread debate, particularly on social media, with PTI and other critics questioning the expenditure on public funds.
Former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senator Farhatullah Babar took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to criticise the publication, calling it a “monstrosity at the public expense”. He also pointed out that the first 30 pages featured 170 photographs of Maryam Nawaz, describing it as a “monstrous disservice to her and her government”.
However, addressing the media, Azma Bokhari justified the publication, insisting that it was necessary to counter what she called “fake propaganda” surrounding the government’s performance.
“The performance of the Punjab government over the last year has been exemplary,” Ms Bokhari claimed. “It was impossible to go ‘door-to-door’ (by Maryam Nawaz) to make people aware of the government’s health and Kisaan cards and other initiatives. Therefore, the government published the supplement to spread awareness.”
In a veiled reference to the PTI, the minister said, “One political party and its workers were agitated by the performance of the Punjab government. The supplement was not about highlighting Maryam Nawaz, but it detailed the projects undertaken by the government under her leadership.”
Instead, Ms Bokhari criticised the advertisement supplement published by former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar of PTI.
“Buzdar’s supplement was an empty page because his party did not have any projects to be proud of,” she said. “During his government’s first 100 days, Buzdar published an empty page because they were busy in other things,” she remarked, alleging that PTI was engaged in corruption involving transfers, postings and scandals related to sugar and wheat.
She was referring to a 2023 case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Bushra Bibi’s friend Farhat Shahzadi alias Farah Khan, who allegedly received millions of rupees from some bureaucrats for transfers and postings during Mr Buzdar’s tenure.
Ms Bokhari claimed that journalists — allegedly a part of the propaganda — had been receiving “instructions” to speak out against the supplement.
“From yesterday, they [PTI] have started this campaign ‘projects of Tehreek-i-Insaf, plaque of Maryam Nawaz,’” she said. “I have dissected the supplement published by PTI during its tenure — they owned all the projects mentioned therein, but none of the projects had any truth to it, nor was there any follow-up.”
She stressed that the municipal system and the government hospital’s dialysis programme were already present before PTI’s era.
“This dialysis programme was also not initiated by Buzdar’s (government) — it was started during Shehbaz Sharif’s time, because of which 1,100 people got their dialysis done in two weeks,” she claimed.
She also said that “slogans of air ambulance” had been chanted before during various governments, but Maryam Nawaz “actually implemented it”.
LHC petitioned
Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Lahore High Court on Thursday, seeking action against PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for allegedly misusing public funds for “personal and political promotion.”
The petitioner argued that Nawaz Sharif, despite being a member of the National Assembly, was using Punjab government resources for political activities. It further stated that public funds in Punjab should be allocated for welfare projects and job creation instead of political branding and dynastic promotion through extensive media advertisements.
Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2025