Sindh and Punjab govt officials clash over who launched 'electric buses' first

Sindh and Punjab are at odds after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced that Punjab would be the first province in Pakistan to introduce an eco-friendly transport system. 

This prompted Sindh’s transport minister Sharjeel Memon to quickly remind her that Sindh had already made this switch to electronic busses back in 2023.

However, Punjab’s Information Minister, Azma Bukhari, soon joined the debate to counter Memon’s claim.

A day earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz shared her plan to shift Punjab’s mass transit to electric vehicles, claiming that “Punjab is going to be the first province to transform its mass transit to electric vehicles”.

Read: Karachi to get 500 electric buses under new transport project

“1st fleet of 27 e-Buses has arrived—buses equipped with Wifi, Female Section, Wheelchair ramps, CCTV and seating for special persons. Bus stops will be revamped with Water coolers and mist fans,” she said in a post on X. 

After noticing CM Maryam's claim, Sharjeel Memon attempted to set the record straight, stating, “It’s good to know that after Sindh, Punjab is the second province that has started EV Buses. For the correction of record, PPP’s Sindh government started EV buses in January 2023. So Punjab started after Sindh.”

However, the Punjab government’s spokesperson, Azma Bukhari fired back at Memon by recalling a recent comparison of governance in Sindh and Punjab made by Karachi's businessman Atiq Mir.

“Sorry, but I don't know why people [Sindh government] are getting insecure these days. Firstly, they criticised businessmen for their lighthearted remarks, and now this?” Bukhari replied on Sharjeel’s comment.

“By the way, after the Orange Line, three metros, speedo buses, and electric bikes, this is the next step,” she added. 

Azma Bukhari also stated that "everyone knows the real situation of public transport in Sindh."

Azma Bukhari referenced recent remarks by Karachi-based businessman Atiq Mir, who humorously suggested handing over Sindh’s governance to Maryam Nawaz during a meeting between Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Karachi’s business community on January 25.

During the meeting, Atiq Mir jokingly remarked, “Give us Maryam Nawaz for some time and keep Murad Ali Shah in Punjab.”