Laptop Scheme Will Fulfil Dreams of Young Girls: CM Maryam

CHAKWAL: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday inaugurated the National School of Excellence in Chakwal and distributed laptops among female students under the government’s digital empowerment initiative.

Addressing the ceremony, the chief minister said her mission was to ensure that no girl abandons her dreams due to financial or social barriers. She recalled stories of young students she met during the scheme, including one who was discouraged from pursuing higher education after losing her father. “My duty is to fulfil those dreams,” she remarked.

Sharing her own journey, Maryam Nawaz spoke about the struggles she faced as a woman in politics, including imprisonment and personal loss. “I never wanted to enter politics, but when my father was targeted, I did what any daughter would do,” she said. She added that her time in jail prepared her for public service, recalling her cell as “hot like a tandoor.”

The chief minister announced that 1.2 million laptops would be distributed nationwide this year, including in Gilgit-Baltistan, KP, Kashmir and Balochistan. She also highlighted the increase in scholarships from 30,000 last year to 50,000 this year.

Responding to suggestions that the ceremony should have been held in Rawalpindi, she said Chakwal was equally important. On governance, she claimed that crime had sharply declined after the establishment of the Crime Control Division, adding that no major incidents had been reported for days.

Reiterating her stance on merit, she said, “I do not accept recommendations. The culture of sifarish has been abolished in Punjab.”

She congratulated the students receiving laptops and scholarships, saying their achievements were a source of pride for their parents.