ISLAMABAD: Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was allegedly promoted in a “undemocratic” manner to the position of senior vice president and chief organiser of the party, which did not sit well with the party’s senior stalwarts.
After her father, Nawaz Sharif, and her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, the current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Maryam is now the third most influential person in the party as a result of the appointment.
Numerous top second-tier PML-N leaders are reportedly unhappy with the appointment, citing a lack of consultation as one of the primary factors fueling their unhappiness.
A senior PML-N official informed The News that “this move is undemocratic and is intended to strengthen the Sharifs’ political dynasty.” He disclosed that the Sharif family received the majority of the input from key leaders.
Senior PML-N figures like Khawaja Asif, Tanvir Hussain, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, and Raja Zafarul Haq are now beneath Maryam in the party’s hierarchy as a result of the decision. The party had more than a dozen vice presidents, including Maryam Nawaz, before the decision, but Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was the only senior vice president.
Another party chief expressed regret at the decision while speaking to The News under the condition of anonymity, stating that “only the Sharif family or those closely linked to them have the first right to hold every significant party or government job.”
Hamza Shehbaz, the senior son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the opposition in Punjab, was appointed Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab last year alongside his father in the Prime Minister’s House.
Many party members believe that Khawaja Saad Rafique and Malik Ahmad Khan would have made much better selections as Punjab’s chief executive, but the Sharif family went with Hamza, who could only hold the position for a short period of time.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is another close relative of the Sharif family with clout in the party. He also serves as the head of the PML-international N’s branch.
On the other hand, Capt (R) Safdar, Maryam’s husband and Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, serves as the head of the PML-N Youth Wing.
A PML-N leader claims that Junaid Safdar, Maryam’s son, is also being promoted as the N-future League’s by the party’s social media staff. Junaid hasn’t yet entered politics, though.
A party source said that the senior PML-N leadership outside the Sharif family would even be subordinate to Junaid when he enters politics, adding that democracy had taken a backseat as far as PML-N’s internal politics was concerned.