Lahore roof collapse left me sleepless for three days, says Maryam Nawaz

ARIFWALA, July 16: Punjab Chief Minister, Marayam Nawaz said that she couldn’t sleep for three days after roof collapse tragedy that occurred in Lahore, ARY News reported.

Speaking at a ceremony, Maryam Nawaz said the Punjab government wants to carry out development projects in Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well. She said the opposition claims that only Lahore is getting attention, but development work is taking place across the entire province.

She said every person living in Punjab is the responsibility of her government and vowed to continue working for public welfare.

Talking about the situation in Azad Kashmir, the chief minister said violence and bloodshed cannot be allowed. She urged people to support those who deliver development instead of those who fail to serve the public.

Maryam Nawaz also highlighted the Punjab government’s public transport projects, saying the province now has Pakistan’s biggest public transport system. She said electric bus service will be expanded to nine more districts by the end of July.

The chief minister said 1,100 electric buses will be operating in Punjab by August 15, adding that the government plans to increase the fleet to 5,000 electric buses over the next five years

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz shared her personal experience of imprisonment while addressing a jail reforms conference, saying she understands the hardships faced by prisoners because she had spent time in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail.

Maryam Nawaz said she was kept in solitary confinement for 24 hours at Adiala Jail and knew very well how such conditions affect a person’s mental health.

“Those who go through prison life can understand the pain and difficulties of being behind bars.”

The Punjab chief minister said she and her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, were imprisoned at the same time. During their imprisonment, her mother was seriously ill, but they were not allowed to meet her.

“We were not allowed to see my mother, nor could I sit with her,” she said.

Recalling another incident, Maryam Nawaz said her blood sugar level dropped in jail, but no one came to help her.

“My hands were shaking and the bottle of jaggery fell on the floor and broke. I picked up the jaggery from the floor and ate it,” she said.

She also described the prison cell, saying there was a washroom on one side and the sleeping area on the other, with no partition between them.