LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing an event in Lahore on Thursday, said that merit should be given priority in Pakistan as it should be the norm, not an exception.
The event was arranged in honour of students travelling to Turkey to learn the Turkish language.
He further remarked that “strict action will be taken against people who fail to follow meritocracy.”
About 150,000 students were granted admissions to educational institutes based on merit, he said, adding that in the police department 100 per cent candidates were hired on the basis of merit.
“We have spent billions of rupees on our people. This is an investment in our youth,” he remarked.
He said that the Punjab government has sent students to different countries for learning new languages in order to promote cultural exchange.
He claimed that Lahore’s forensic lab is the leading lab of South Asia with talented people working there. Moreover, a state-of-art drug testing lab has also been established.