ISLAMABAD: The ‘undemocratic’ elevation of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif to the post of senior vice-president and chief organizer of the party has not gone down well with senior stalwarts, sources told JEE News.
This appointment makes Maryam the third most powerful figure in the party after her father Nawaz Sharif and her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, who is the current Prime Minister of Pakistan.
According to sources, a large number of second-tier senior leaders of the Muslim League (N) are unhappy with the appointment, citing lack of consultation as a major reason for dissatisfaction with the position.
“This decision is undemocratic and is aimed at advancing the Sharif political dynasty,” a senior PML-N leader told JEE News on condition of anonymity. He revealed that hardly any senior leader outside the Sharif family was consulted before taking the decision.
After the verdict, senior PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif, Tanveer Hussain, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Raja Zafarul Haq, are now subordinate to Maryam in the party hierarchy. Before the verdict, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was the only senior vice-president of the party, there were more than a dozen vice-presidents including Maryam Nawaz.
Another party leader, speaking to JEE News on condition of anonymity, lamented the decision, saying: “Only the Sharif family or their close relatives are allowed to hold every important party or government post. has the first right”.
Additionally, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s elder son Hamza Shehbaz, who is currently the leader of the opposition in Punjab, was elected as the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab along with his father in the Prime Minister’s House last year.
Sources say that many people in the party believe that the likes of Khawaja Saad Rafique and Malik Ahmed Khan would have been much better choices as Chief Minister of Punjab, but the Sharif family chose Hamza, who could only be the Chief Minister of Punjab for a few months.
Another close relative of the Sharif family who has influence in the party is Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. He is also the president of the overseas chapter of PML-N.
On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law and Maryam’s husband Captain (retd) Safdar is the president of the youth wing of PML-N.
According to a PML-N leader, Maryam’s son Junaid Safdar is also being declared as the future of PML-N by the party’s social media team. However, Junaid has not yet joined politics.
A source in the party said that outside the Sharif family, the senior leadership of the Muslim League (N) will also come under Junaid when he enters politics, he added that as far as the internal politics of the Muslim League (N) is concerned. Democracy has gone backwards.
