CM Maryam gives befitting response to critics on TikTok, social media videos

After being blamed for alleged self-promotion via social media videos, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz responded to critics, saying that she also wanted to see them "coming out of their comfort zone" and being "eligible for TikTok videos and media coverage".

CM Maryam, speaking at an inauguration event of 32 field hospitals in Lahore on Wednesday, said that she was being repeatedly criticised for continuously appearance in TikTok videos.

She responded to the criticism, saying: “I also want these people to come out of their comfort zone [...] come out of their air-conditioned rooms, and do some work, so you would be seen in TikTok videos, and get eligible for media coverage too. You should also come out to serve masses but you have to leave your comfort zone [for that].”

The chief minister expressed her views that people reserved the right to be aware of daily activities as their chief minister "is serving them 24/7".

She challenged her rivals to work for public welfare in the same way she was doing, instead of choosing an easy way by launching criticism on social media platforms.

She added that she was following the footsteps of her father Nawaz Sharif, who she said inquired about her daily performance at the end of the day.

CM Maryam announced that the provincial government has planned to launch a 200 CM Clinic on Wheel project to facilitate citizens to get medical treatment while staying at home.

She criticised the former government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for stopping the supply of free-of-cost medicines which was recently resumed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and increased allocations to more than Rs6 billion for medicines of cancer patients.

“Those doctors would get more perks and salaries who served people in far-flung areas. We are going to start Punjab’s first air ambulance service in two weeks. The service would be used for poor people.”

“A medical city will also be established Lahore and Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art cancer hospital. The cancer hospital will be made functional within one year.”

She alleged that the health card scheme turned into a “centre of corruption” after 2018, blaming the former ruling party for receiving several public complaints. CM Maryam announced that the health card programme would be relaunched after removing the flaws.