Azma Bokhari Urges Sindh Govt To Focus On Own Performance

Faizan Hashmi Published September 26, 2025 | 08:10 PM

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Sep, 2025) Punjab Minister for Information and Culture, Azma Bokhari, has said that instead of criticising Punjab’s development and welfare projects, the Sindh government should concentrate on improving its own performance.

In a statement on Friday, Bokhari invited Sindh’s Information Minister, Sharjeel Memon, to Lahore, saying: “Come to Lahore, we will show you the scale of work being done in Punjab, so you may also learn.”

She welcomed Sindh’s decision to replicate Punjab’s Pink Scooties Programme, adding that Punjab has no objection to such initiatives. However, she advised that any suggestions to the Federal government should be made with wisdom and seriousness.

The minister highlighted Punjab’s historic farmer-friendly measures, including Rs. 55 billion relief in 2024, Rs. 98 billion in 2025, and an allocation of Rs. 129.8 billion for agriculture in the current fiscal year. She said farmers have already availed over Rs. 60 billion through the Kisan Card, while Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz distributed 9,500 tractors last year and plans to provide the same number again this year.

Additionally, Rs. 14 billion was recently allocated for a wheat support program.

Comparing Punjab and Sindh’s agricultural output, Bokhari emphasized that Punjab is the country’s largest wheat-producing province with an output of 22.05 million metric tons, compared to Sindh’s 3.54 million metric tons. Punjab enjoys a surplus of 6.63 million metric tons, while Sindh faces a deficit of 3.19 million metric tons. “Punjab’s wheat consumption is two-and-a-half times higher than Sindh’s. Before showing concern for Punjab’s farmers, Sindh should first meet its own wheat requirements,” she stated.

On flood relief, she said Sindh’s ruling party had previously politicized floods, but it was encouraging to see them step back from such politics. She questioned, however, what concrete relief measures Sindh had provided to its own flood victims.

Bokhari concluded that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is actively delivering relief to flood victims in Punjab, asking why this should cause discomfort to the Sindh government.