Maryam Nawaz to reach Pakistan today

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz, will return to Pakistan on Saturday (today) after a three-month absence. Maryam’s return is seen within the party as a morale booster.

She was recently appointed as Chief Organiser of her party, other than reorganisation, Maryam is also expected to push forward the newly adopted narrative of the PML-N.

According to the PML-N, Maryam Nawaz's flight is expected to land around 3 o'clock in Lahore. She had sailed from London on Friday and was returning to Pakistan after a brief stay in Dubai. She would be taken from the Lahore airport to her residence at Jati Umrah in the form of a rally.

It was revealed that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also chaired a meeting via video link from Islamabad with former and sitting parliamentarians from Lahore, instructing them to give her a warm welcome. Maryam’s return would also formally allow the party to begin its election drive.

Prior to her arrival, the party was already experimenting with a new narrative that blamed former Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javeed Bajwa, former DG ISI Faiz Hameed, and two former Chief Justices, Sadiq Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa, for assisting and supporting the PTI and victimising the PML-N. However, because many senior party leaders were preoccupied with government matters, this narrative has yet to gain traction.

Other than this, the party was also expected to emphasise its past performance, when Nawaz Sharif was in power, to highlight the advancements the country had made during his stint. So far, no political activity schedule has been announced by the PML-N.

Maryam Nawaz left for London on October 6 after getting her passport from the court—which remained surrendered there for three years—to be with her father, Nawaz Sharif, and to undergo surgery.

Read PML-N rejects talk of political vendetta

Initially, party leaders said that Maryam Nawaz would return in a month. On January 3, Maryam Nawaz was made Senior Vice President and was given the authority to organise the party at all levels as Chief organiser.

Maryam Sharif and her father, Nawaz Sharif, left London for Geneva on January 4. She had throat surgery on January 6. It was expected that with her arrival, Nawaz Sharif would again dominate the party.

Maryam Nawaz recently appointed Saif Ul Malook Khokhar as Lahore Chapter President, a decision that was not approved by many in the party. Maryam camp tried making him last year, but those efforts did not materialise.  This time around, she was the chief organiser, there was nothing stopping her. Reportedly, Khokhar was a major financier of the Sharif family.

A MNA (Member of National Assembly) from Punjab requesting anonymity said Mayram Nawaz will be able to take on the Pakistan Tahrek-Insaf (PTI)  much more aggressively and will reinvigorate the party that is in low spirits.

He said that hopefully Nawaz Sharif would also return soon to steer the party out of this crisis. He mentioned that there should be no qualms about accepting PML-N failures. MNA said the economic mismanagement has badly affected their favorability with the masses.

Turning this around would be no small feat and would require an experienced hand such as Nawaz Sharif himself. He said that Maryam Nawaz might provide an initial charge to the party, but if that charge is not backed by Nawaz Sharif's return, it would only prove to be a one-time spark.