Maryam to return to Pakistan this month

Sana believes Nawaz’s return is vital for PML-N’s victory

LAHORE:

While Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan is on indefinite hold, his daughter and the newly-appointed chief organiser of the party, Maryam Nawaz, is returning to the country in the coming days to formally kick-start the election drive.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, after a meeting with party Nawaz and Maryam at his residence in London, reportedly said that the party’s senior vice president will be returning to Pakistan next week but added that the election campaign for the party will be led by both father and daughter.

Regarding his visit to London, he said that was seeking guidance from the party supremo regarding matters in Punjab. He also said that he was the provincial president of the party where preparations for elections have informally begun.

He declared that the party stands united behind Nawaz.

To a question regarding Maryam becoming the first woman chief minister of Punjab, he said that she can certainly do so. He also emphasised that for the party’s victory, it was important for Nawaz to return to the country.

Party leaders here in Pakistan claim that Maryam is indeed returning to Pakistan soon, but she is not expected next week, rather they said that she would return post next week in January.  Others said that her return will mark the start of the election drive in Punjab.

On the condition of anonymity, a party leader said that there were concerns in the party regarding the way things were done by the Sharif family. He said that Maryam’s elevation has ruffled some feathers and that too of some senior leaders.

He also said that Maryam had indeed run election campaigns in the past but that was from a position of power and those campaigns did not yield any considerable positive outcome. He added that Maryam was not aware of the intrinsic details of street politics.

The party leader said that Maryam was good as a party face and many, including the majority of the senior leadership, had made peace with it, but this new role made leaders introspect and rethink their position in the party.

Some leaders, including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and former federal minister Mifiah Ismail, were not happy with the way things were being handled in the party, he added.

He also said that the fact remains that Maryam is a crowd puller, and the party needs a face like her, and so many young leaders were indeed happy with this development. He added that Maryam, on her return, will start a round of rallies throughout Punjab.

He further said that while she would formally assume her role as the chief organizer, she would not immediately start calling the shorts. Gradually, she is expected to bring some changes that might further antagonise a certain quarter in the party, he added.

Regarding Nawaz’s return, he said that no leader in the party can dare say that his return is vital for the party’s success. He added that this “scripted line” was in itself a plan to give the impression that there was a need for him to return.

The PML-N leader said that this was the party’s way of creating hype for his return. He said that as of now they were hearing talks of his return, but nothing beyond that.

With that said, several leaders in the party have indeed stated on record that Nawaz’s return is important for the party’s comeback.

It is worth noting here that Maryam left for London in October last year to be with her father, who left the country in 2019 on the pretext of medical treatment and has been living in the United Kingdom ever since. During her time abroad, Maryam also went to Geneva for throat surgery.