ISLAMABAD: PML-N leaders (Sharifs) have nominated Maryam Nawaz as the candidate for the Chief Minister of Punjab position. Sharifs announced the nomination of Maryam Nawaz soon after PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto announced support for the PML-N candidate as Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, PML-N pitched Shehbaz Sharif for the Prime Minister slot after getting support from the PPP and other like-minded parties on Tuesday evening.
The outcome of Maryam’s candidacy is yet to be determined. PMLN holds 137 seats in the Punjab Assembly, while independents, including those supported by PTI, amount to 138.
However, the declaration of Maryam’s candidacy signifies the Sharif family’s continued dominance of Punjab’s political landscape.
Throughout their five previous tenures in power, the Sharifs have maintained a tight grip on the top position in Punjab, with only two individuals coming close to challenging their authority, albeit temporarily.
Nawaz first secured the government of Punjab in 1988, utilizing his influential role to vocally oppose Benazir Bhutto’s central government, sometimes reportedly withdrawing from the public eye during her visits to Lahore.
When the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad secured a majority in Punjab in 1990, Ghulam Hyder Wyne assumed control of the province.
However, he was eventually replaced by Manzoor Wattoo of the PML-Jinnah after a revolt in the assembly.
Upon PMLN’s return to power in 1997, Shehbaz Sharif assumed the mantle of Chief Minister, serving two almost uninterrupted terms from 1997 to 1998 and then again from 2008 to 2018.
However, his tenure faced interruptions due to disqualification in 2008 and imposition of governor’s rule in 2009.
In April 2022, when the opposition managed to oust the PTI government led by Usman Buzdar in Punjab, the Sharifs installed another family member, Shehbaz’s son Hamza, as Chief Minister. However, his tenure was brief, lasting only 87 days.
While uncertainty looms over the victor in the current power struggle, one thing remains clear: the Sharif family’s stronghold on the position of Chief Minister in Punjab persists.
