Differently-Abled Individuals to Avail Free Public Transport Under Himmat Card

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced the launch of the Himmat Card initiative on Thursday, designed to support differently-abled individuals in Punjab. The program will enable them to travel for free on the Orange Line and metro bus services in Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi.

During the launch event, the chief minister highlighted that around 65,000 differently-abled people will receive financial assistance of Rs. 10,500 every three months. She personally handed out Himmat Cards to several recipients as a symbolic gesture of the program’s commitment.

In her speech, She criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership, accusing them of fostering unrest in the country. She remarked that those who obstruct positive progress and promote chaos are, in her words, “mentally paralyzed.”

“Creating disturbances and instability makes it difficult to deliver essential services to the people. Those responsible for causing hardships are a burden on our nation,” she asserted, urging PTI leadership to focus on improving the welfare of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) people instead of causing disruptions in other regions.

Ms. Nawaz further mentioned that many people from KP are engaged in business across Punjab, emphasizing that those causing unrest in Punjab are essentially harming their own citizens. She referred to PTI’s planned protest at D Chowk in Islamabad, where KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was expected to lead a demonstration in support of PTI’s goals, including judicial independence, the release of Imran Khan, and addressing inflation.

Contrasting her government’s actions with PTI, the chief minister emphasized her administration’s dedication to tackling inflation, improving infrastructure, and maintaining cleanliness.

She stated that she personally monitors the prices of essential goods and supervises sanitation efforts regularly. She also drew attention to the increasing price of bread in KP, which has risen to Rs. 25, pointing out the lack of concern for the issue in the province. Expressing her concern, Ms. Nawaz concluded by saying, “My heart beats for the people of KP and other provinces as well.”