Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday inaugurated the Hunarmand (Merit) Scholarship and Laptop Scheme Phase-II, announcing a major package of initiatives aimed at empowering students across the country.
At the ceremony, the chief minister unveiled plans to award 80,000 scholarships next year and distribute 118,000 Core i7 laptops to deserving students. She stressed that merit would be the only criterion, adding that students from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would also be included.
Maryam Nawaz emphasized her government’s commitment to youth development, noting that over 27,000 applications for laptops had already been received from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. She vowed that recommendations and favoritism would not influence selections.
Alongside the scholarships and laptops, the chief minister announced plans to establish 6,000 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) laboratories, Schools of Eminence across Punjab, and new Centers of Excellence. She also declared that electric buses would soon be launched in Chakwal to improve urban transport.
Reflecting on her political journey, Maryam recalled entering politics in 2011, contesting her first election in 2024, and enduring imprisonment despite, in her words, “no crime or wrongdoing.” She said her personal struggles had strengthened her resolve to invest in education and the youth of Punjab.
