MUZAFFARABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced a series of welfare and development initiatives for Azad Jammu and Kashmir if the PML-N forms the next regional government.
Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarabad on Monday, she said Punjab’s electric bike and interest-free loan schemes would also benefit people in AJK.
Maryam also pledged to introduce the Himmat Card programme for persons with disabilities in the region.
Furthermore, she announced 2,000 scholarships and 5,000 laptops for AJK students to support education and digital access.
The Punjab chief minister also promised to provide 15 Clinic on Wheels units to improve healthcare services across the region.
She said the PML-N would also create employment opportunities for young people if voters gave the party a mandate.
Healthcare and housing plans outlined
Highlighting Punjab’s healthcare projects, Maryam said new hospitals were being constructed across the province.
She particularly mentioned the 1,000-bed Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital in Lahore, saying patients from AJK would also benefit from its services.
Moreover, she said she would ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to extend the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing programme to Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The announcements form part of the PML-N’s campaign ahead of elections in the region.
Maryam said the proposed initiatives would focus on education, healthcare, housing, financial support and employment.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government’s welfare programmes have become a key part of the party’s political messaging.
The PML-N aims to present its development model as a blueprint for improving public services and economic opportunities in AJK.
