Pakistan ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s daughter becomes nation’s first woman to govern a province

Daughter of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif took control of Pakistan’s most populous region after she was elected chief minister in her family’s long-time power base

Her uncle Shehbaz, also a previous PM, looks set to rule again after the family’s PML-N party agreed to govern in coalition with the Pakistan Peoples Party

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Nawaz Sharif (right), former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, and his daughter Maryam Nawaz wave to supporters in Lahore. Maryam was elected chief minister in her family’s long-time power base of Punjab province. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:54pm, 26 Feb 2024

The daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif took control of Pakistan’s most populous region on Monday, becoming the country’s first woman to govern a province.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif was elected chief minister in her family’s long-time power base of Punjab province, after Pakistan held national and provincial polls on February 8.

Her father – widely known as the “Lion of Punjab” – was prime minister three times, his last stint ending in 2017.

Her uncle Shehbaz, also a previous premier, looks set to rule again after the family’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party agreed to govern in coalition with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Former PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam, his brother and former PM Shahbaz Sharif, and former information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb gather at the party office of Pakistan Muslim League in Lahore. Photo: Reuters

The alliance also saw the PPP’s Punjab lawmakers back Maryam for the chief minister’s office, where she will preside over the province of 127 million Pakistanis – more than half the national populace.