Lahore by-poll: PML-N’s election campaign concludes
Constituents fail to get a glimpse of PML-N candidate undergoing treatment in London
Maryam Nawaz Sharif is pictured talking to reporters. PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
Without even setting foot in the constituency for an active election campaign, the candidate for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) expects an easy victory from NA-120 in Lahore, considered a traditional stronghold of the party.
Maryam Nawaz has rallied support for her ailing mother Begum Kulsum Nawaz, the PML-N nominee for the Lahore by-poll. Kulsum has undergone treatment for lymphoma recently. She had left the country for the UK on August 17.
According to the Sharif family, Kulsum underwent a successful surgery in London earlier this month. However, days after this disclosure, they obtained visas to the US as a backup option, according to a close aide of former PM Nawaz Sharif.
PML-N MNAs and MPAs from Lahore ran her election campaign as late as last month, after which Maryam formally initiated an election campaign on behalf of her mother.
NA-120 by-poll: Don't get busy in kitchens on election day, Maryam tells women supporters
Voters failed to get a glimpse of the PML-N candidate for the election despite rumors that she would join the campaign in its closing stages. The seat fell vacant after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister.
This is not the first time that voters of the area have been deprived of their right to an audience with the PML-N MNA nominee. In the 2013 general elections, Nawaz Sharif, who later went on to become PM for a third time, did not even bother to visit the constituency in order to garner support.
Maryam, in the absence of any leading family member in Pakistan, has continued to campaign for her mother. Hamza Shehbaz, who was initially overseeing the election campaign, left immediately after Maryam took over.
Sharifs' rule will be over after Sep 17, Imran tells supporters
The party has tried to play down rumors of a rift between Maryam and Hamza, but the latter’s unexpected departure to London lends credence to rumors of a family dispute.
Maryam started campaigning in the constituency from August 29. In her campaign, she criticised top judges for giving a decision that has led to the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif. She continues to term the opposition party, PTI, a pawn in the hands of rogue elements.
She even said that undue pressure and a lust for revenge are some of the reasons behind the court ruling, going dangerously close to contempt of court. Her election campaign was given extensive coverage by the national television channel, that some may see as misuse of a state resource.
The narrative built by Maryam during her election campaign focused on telling the constituents that voting for the PML-N would actually amount to rejecting the verdict of the court. In one of her speeches, Maryam said that she was “bringing a review petition against this disqualification to the people of NA-120, and voting for a PML-N victory meant rejecting the court’s decision”.
Two references against Sharifs returned
Given her security protocol, a door-to-door campaign was not a real possibility. Maryam only addressed workers of the PML-N in conventions and rallies. She did not hold interactive sessions with them. She remained the face of the campaign while an entourage of MNAs and MPAs worked on the ground to ensure that the PML-N wins.
Without even setting foot in the constituency for an active election campaign, the candidate for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) expects an easy victory from NA-120 in Lahore, considered a traditional stronghold of the party.
Maryam Nawaz has rallied support for her ailing mother Begum Kulsum Nawaz, the PML-N nominee for the Lahore by-poll. Kulsum has undergone treatment for lymphoma recently. She had left the country for the UK on August 17.
According to the Sharif family, Kulsum underwent a successful surgery in London earlier this month. However, days after this disclosure, they obtained visas to the US as a backup option, according to a close aide of former PM Nawaz Sharif.
PML-N MNAs and MPAs from Lahore ran her election campaign as late as last month, after which Maryam formally initiated an election campaign on behalf of her mother.
NA-120 by-poll: Don't get busy in kitchens on election day, Maryam tells women supporters
Voters failed to get a glimpse of the PML-N candidate for the election despite rumors that she would join the campaign in its closing stages. The seat fell vacant after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister.
This is not the first time that voters of the area have been deprived of their right to an audience with the PML-N MNA nominee. In the 2013 general elections, Nawaz Sharif, who later went on to become PM for a third time, did not even bother to visit the constituency in order to garner support.
Maryam, in the absence of any leading family member in Pakistan, has continued to campaign for her mother. Hamza Shehbaz, who was initially overseeing the election campaign, left immediately after Maryam took over.
Sharifs' rule will be over after Sep 17, Imran tells supporters
The party has tried to play down rumors of a rift between Maryam and Hamza, but the latter’s unexpected departure to London lends credence to rumors of a family dispute.
Maryam started campaigning in the constituency from August 29. In her campaign, she criticised top judges for giving a decision that has led to the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif. She continues to term the opposition party, PTI, a pawn in the hands of rogue elements.
She even said that undue pressure and a lust for revenge are some of the reasons behind the court ruling, going dangerously close to contempt of court. Her election campaign was given extensive coverage by the national television channel, that some may see as misuse of a state resource.
The narrative built by Maryam during her election campaign focused on telling the constituents that voting for the PML-N would actually amount to rejecting the verdict of the court. In one of her speeches, Maryam said that she was “bringing a review petition against this disqualification to the people of NA-120, and voting for a PML-N victory meant rejecting the court’s decision”.
Two references against Sharifs returned
Given her security protocol, a door-to-door campaign was not a real possibility. Maryam only addressed workers of the PML-N in conventions and rallies. She did not hold interactive sessions with them. She remained the face of the campaign while an entourage of MNAs and MPAs worked on the ground to ensure that the PML-N wins.