Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bukhari has rubbished reports claiming the province is drowning in debt, calling them “baseless and misleading.”
Bukhari clarified that Punjab hasn’t taken a single loan from the State Bank of Pakistan. The figure mentioned in the reports isn’t debt at all, but rather an investment made to generate profit.
She stressed that Punjab is actually a surplus province with over Rs. 1 trillion in its account, leaving no need for borrowing. Any institutions linked with debt, she added, belong to the federal government, not Punjab.
Pointing to a crucial fact, Bukhari reminded that since 2019, neither federal nor provincial governments can take direct loans from the State Bank. She slammed the journalist for spreading falsehoods, saying they should be ashamed, and warned of legal action if the story isn’t corrected.