Mandi Bahauddin: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday called for a forceful response to incidents of violence against citizens, saying she had advised victims of assault to respond to their attackers, as she vowed that offenders would face consequences regardless of their political affiliations or influence.
Addressing a Honhaar Scholarship and laptop distribution ceremony at Rasul University in Mandi Bahauddin, Maryam Nawaz delivered an emotional speech highlighting violence against women, the killing of an orphaned teenager in Multan and the provincial government's responsibility to protect vulnerable citizens.
Referring to a widely circulated video of a woman being assaulted while riding a scooter in Lahore, the chief minister said she had personally contacted the victim while she was receiving treatment at a police station. According to Maryam Nawaz, the woman told her that a man had pulled her off her scooter and beaten her with slaps, punches and kicks because he believed she had failed to give him the right of way. The chief minister said the accused was wealthy and influential, while the woman had suffered injuries, including a broken bone. “I told her, ‘For every slap he gave you, give him a slap back,’” Maryam Nawaz said, recounting her conversation with the victim.
The chief minister also referred to a fatal incident in Multan in which a man ran over an orphaned teenager, saying the tragedy continued to haunt her. She further mentioned an assault at a petrol pump, citing the incidents as examples of the violence faced by ordinary citizens. Maryam Nawaz said her government stood with the oppressed and stressed that offenders would not be spared even if they belonged to her own political party. She said she was not concerned about which cases might be registered against her in the future when it came to standing up for victims. Criticising governance based on intimidation, she said, “Governing through fear is not governance; keep one principle and remain consistent.” The chief minister's remarks on retaliatory violence came alongside her broader emphasis on protecting citizens and ensuring accountability for those who misuse their power and influence.
During the ceremony, Maryam Nawaz also congratulated students receiving Honhaar scholarships and laptops, describing them as the country's future engineers, surgeons, police officers and military personnel. She thanked the audience for celebrating her birthday with affection, saying she had forgotten the occasion herself but was deeply touched by the students' gesture. Highlighting developments at Rasul University, she said the institution had remained under construction for two decades and had only 149 students enrolled before she became chief minister. She said enrolment had since increased to nearly 3,000 students, with new academic disciplines, university blocks and infrastructure developed at a cost of billions of rupees. She said the university had expanded its programmes in social sciences and humanities, life sciences, business management, medical and health sciences, engineering, technology and computer sciences to provide students from Mandi Bahauddin and surrounding areas with access to higher education.
Maryam Nawaz formally inaugurated Rasul University and Mandi Bahauddin Medical College, describing the projects as investments in future generations. She also defended the transparency of the Honhaar Scholarship and laptop distribution programmes, challenging anyone in the gathering to identify a case in which political affiliation, family influence or a recommendation from an elected representative had determined a recipient's selection. She maintained that the initiatives had been awarded on merit, without favouritism or political interference.
Maryam Nawaz reiterated that her government would stand and pursue accountability without political favouritism, while emphasising that access to education must remain rooted in merit. Her remarks placed the protection of ordinary citizens, action against influential offenders and investment in students at the centre of her administration’s stated priorities.