PUNJAB’S prosperity cannot be realized while parts of its population remain systematically excluded.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif-led government appears to have internalized this foundational truth of developmental governance. Over the past two years, Punjab has architected one of the most expansive social protection frameworks, a constellation of targeted, data-driven programs designed to empower persons with disabilities, transgender individuals, women, religious minorities, children and the economically marginalized. Taken together, they represent a paradigm shift in how the state defines its obligations to its most vulnerable citizens.

The fiscal architecture underpinning this vision is formidable. Punjab’s Budget 2025–26, valued at a landmark Rs5.335 trillion, is the most ambitious people-focused fiscal plan in the province’s history, with 73% of total expenditure dedicated to public welfare and inclusive growth. The development budget alone has surged by 47.2%, now standing at a record Rs1,240 billion. This is not incremental reform but a structural reimagining of provincial governance. At the centre of this human-centred agenda is the Himmat Card Programme. In the 2025–26 budget, the CM Himmat Card for Persons with Disabilities has been allocated Rs 4 billion, a significant scaling up from its pilot phase, which originally covered 40,000 individuals and has........

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