Nawaz steps up political outreach, meets PML-N lawmakers from Muzaffargarh

LAHORE: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has stepped up his political outreach to the party’s provincial lawmakers, meeting PML-N MPAs from Muzaffargarh on Wednesday in an effort to narrow the widening disconnect between legislators and the provincial administrative machinery, the Punjab government said.

Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz at her office, the former prime minister discussed the MPAs’ grievances, the political situation and development priorities in south Punjab.

Nawaz has rarely interacted with provincial lawmakers since the February 2024 general elections, making this meeting significant.

Since the elections, he has largely confined his political engagements to party huddles and meetings of the Lahore Heritage body, with no such direct interaction with provincial lawmakers.

CM Maryam also remained “out of reach” for many PML-N MPAs for the first two years in office, a party lawmaker said to Dawn.

However, lately, she has renewed interaction with party lawmakers after mounting complaints that elected representatives were finding it increasingly difficult to get the bureaucracy and police to respond to issues confronting their constituents.

The complaints are particularly pronounced among lawmakers from rural constituencies, who say officials often do not attach due weight to their requests when they approach them for a resolution of local problems.

In the past few weeks, CM Maryam has met with MPAs from Bahawalnagar, Mandi Bahauddin and Attock.

Soon after taking charge as CM, Maryam had drawn a clear line, telling party lawmakers that they would have no role in civil, administrative or police postings and transfers.

According to an official Punjab government statement, the Muzaffargarh lawmakers briefed the Sharifs on local issues and praised the Punjab government for what they described as a record number of development projects in south Punjab.

They thanked the CM for launching electric bus and clean drinking water projects in Muzaffargarh, saying the initiatives demonstrated her focus on relatively underdeveloped areas.

The MPAs said thousands of residents were benefiting from the electric bus service on routes linking Fazil Mill with Khanpur Baga Sher, Railway Phatak with Mahmood Mills, Jhang Mor with Turki Hospital and other areas.

They also cited the Chief Minister’s Local Roads Programme, under which link roads in Muzaffargarh district were being constructed and rehabilitated.

CM Maryam said the PML-N believed in “genuine public development rather than hollow slogans and false claims”, adding that addressing the deprivations of south Punjab remained her government’s top priority.

She recalled personally supervising rescue and relief operations during last year’s floods in the region, saying that providing relief and facilities to people in deprived areas was her greatest source of satisfaction.