Lahore: Information Minister Punjab Uzma Bukhari strongly reacted to the statement of Special Assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Information Shafi Jan about coming to Lahore in connection with the protest movement and clarified that Lahore is a peaceful and civilized city where every citizen has the freedom to come and go within the ambit of the law, however, no one can be allowed to spread riots, unrest or chaos.
In her statement, Uzma Bukhari said that the Punjab government believes in civil liberties, but this freedom will not be allowed to be used to challenge state writs or damage public property. She said that Lahore’s roads are open for tourism, traffic and daily life, but creating chaos in the name of protest is unacceptable.
She criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and said that KP province has been a victim of continuous mismanagement and poor governance for the past 12 years. According to Uzma Bukhari, “If there is anything to learn by coming to Lahore, it is development, cleanliness and better administrative discipline, the example of which is seen in Punjab.”
The Punjab Information Minister said that the efforts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister to imitate the governance style of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz are now coming to the fore, but mere statements and social media videos do not improve governance. According to her, the Punjab government under Maryam Nawaz’s leadership has taken significant steps in the areas of public relief, civic amenities and infrastructure in a short period of time.
Uzma Bukhari added that if any political party or leader comes to Lahore, he will have to respect the laws and regulations here. He clarified that the constitution grants the right to protest, but with this right comes responsibility. “Remember, roaming the streets of Lahore to the extent of making videos is allowed, but any kind of unrest will not be tolerated,” she said.
