Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz has clarified that she is not interested in becoming the prime minister or the chief minister after the upcoming general elections in the country.

During an informal interaction with journalists on Sunday, she categorically said, “My focus is not on the slot of prime minister or chief minister.”

The PML-N stalwart also said for now, Junaid — her son — had also no intention of joining politics. “Junaid has to take the responsibility for his home first,” she said on a lighter note.

Junaid Safdar, a Cambridge graduate, has two Master’s and two Bachelor’s degrees from UK universities. A polo enthusiast got married in London in August 2021 and celebrated a grand valima ceremony in December in Lahore.

Maryam said that the foundation, identity and power of her party was “performance”. Responding to a question about people’s response, the PML-N leader said she was surprised to see the enthusiasm and numbers of the people who welcomed her upon her return to the homeland. She was in London since October 2022 and spent time with her father and party supremo Nawaz Sharif before coming back to Pakistan in the last week of January.

“The response was beyond my expectation,” she added.

‘Shahbaz focused on good governance’

Without naming former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the scion of the Sharif family’s political dynasty said that the people knew who brought inflation and took the country’s economy to the brink of disaster. 

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s focus is on good governance.” At the same time, she said the coalition government could not turn a blind eye to rising inflation.

Responding to a question, she said that PML-N would hold public rallies near the upcoming elections. “The entire programme of the Tanzeemi (organising) Convention was arranged by Nawaz Sharif himself.”

“PML-N to form its own IT wing’

Speaking on the occasion, Maryam said that the PML-N’s social media wing was working on a voluntary basis. “We find it difficult to repeat even true accusation,” she added.

The PTI, she said, recruited keyboard warriors on the government’s expenditure. She added that their competition was with very rude people. 

Maryam also announced that her “party is setting up its own IT wing” to counter the propaganda of their opponents.

More to come…