INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of Pakistan&s three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was elected on Monday as the head of the country&s
most populous province, Punjab, in a move underlining the expanding grip of the family in the South Asian nation.Maryam, 50, her father&s
political heir, is the first woman to be chief minister of Punjab & a post that has long been a stepping stone to becoming the country&s
prime minister.She secured 220 votes in the 371-seat provincial assembly, the Punjab assembly speaker said has he announced the results of
the election that was boycotted by the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council party backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.Khan and his
allies allege that the Feb
8 national elections were rigged against them & an allegation denied by the country&s election commission.&I am disappointed the opposition
is not here to be part of this democratic process,& Maryam said in her address to the house after winning the election, adding that her
doors were open to talks with the opposition.Maryam is the fourth member of her family to become the chief minister of Punjab, which
accounts for 53% of Pakistan&s 241 million population and 60 percent of its $350 billion GDP
It is also the home province of the Sharif family.Her father, Nawaz Sharif, and his younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, have also been chief
Shehbaz&s son held the post for a few months last year.Shehbaz is likely to be elected Pakistan&s prime minister for a second time when the
parliament meets later this week.FIERY ORATORMaryam Nawaz is known for her fiery speeches and pulling large crowds, but has not held a
prominent public office before
The 2024 general election was the first time she contested the polls, and she represented her father&s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.She
entered mainstream politics after 2017 when she and her father were found guilty of concealing assets, and they both served jail time before
their convictions were overturned.After her father left for London in late 2019 for medical treatment, she led a countrywide campaign to
take on Khan&s government, the country&s powerful military and the judiciary, who she blamed for targeting her party and family.She has
faced deep criticism from opponents, including Khan, of dynastic politics in Pakistan
But has also been targeted for being a woman leader in the socially conservative Muslim nation.&A woman with a mind of her own who does not
conform to your ideas, who is good-looking, stylish and knows it; is that the problem?& said political commentator Marvi Sirmad, referring
to the critical comments against her.Born on Oct
28, 1973 in the eastern city of Lahore into a wealthy industrialist family, she married Safdar Awan, an army officer who was serving as a
personal secretary to his father in his second term as prime minister in 1992.They have a son, two daughters and a grand-daughter.She
studied medicine but did not complete her degree, and later got a Masters in English Literature from Punjab University.She played a key role
in establishing her party&s social media wing to combat Khan&s digital presence, and headed a youth affairs programme for her father when he
was premier in 2013. (Reuters)The post Nawaz Sharif&s daughter elected to head Pakistan&s Punjab, seen as stepping stone first appeared on
