Photonews Logo Photonews logo
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
    Good Fortune trailer
    Videos

    First Trailer for Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, Starring Keanu Reeves

    May 29, 2025 2 Min Read
    Last of Us Season 2
    Videos

    ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Premieres Date What to Expect From HBO’s Hit Series

    April 13, 2025 2 Min Read
    Disney Snow White box office
    Videos

    Snow White Teaser Drops: Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler Shine

    February 22, 2025 1 Min Read
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Reading: Parliament Watch: ‘First daughter’ leads nation’s prayers, govt affairs in PM’s absence
PhotoNews Pakistan PhotoNews Pakistan
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Balochistan
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Photonews. All Rights Reserved.
Minister Nawaz Sharif
PhotoNews Pakistan > Pakistan > Parliament Watch: ‘First daughter’ leads nation’s prayers, govt affairs in PM’s absence
Pakistan

Parliament Watch: ‘First daughter’ leads nation’s prayers, govt affairs in PM’s absence

Web Desk
By Web Desk Published June 3, 2016 6 Min Read
Share
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
SHARE

Since news broke last Friday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would undergo open-heart surgery in London, it has been the main story across both electronic and print media.

From the Sharif camp, it was Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister’s daughter, who took charge of the media management, providing press updates on her father’s medical condition.

There can be no doubt that the life of its chief executive matters a lot for any country. Still, the prime minister’s heart condition was doubly worrying, as he had to chair important meetings prior to the presentation of the federal budget, which he conducted via video link.

Coming back to that fateful Friday when the news first broke, the Prime Minister’s Office chose Dr Mussadik Malik, one of his lesser-known spokespersons, to break the news to the nation. It was Dr Malik who spoke to the press and provided details of the planned surgery.

But for reasons best known to the Sharif family, the official media machinery of the Prime Minister’s Office and Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed remained aloof from the development, even though the minister is the government’s primary spokesperson.

From here on out, Maryam was the centre of media attention, providing up-to-date and regular updates on her father’s condition to his adoring public via her Twitter account. From announcing the prime minister’s decision to undergo major surgery, to tweeting his first picture after the procedure, Maryam’s Twitter feed provided minute details about how much time the patient would spend inside the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as his tentative plans to come back home.

When Maryam didn’t accompany the Sharif family contingent – including Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his sons – that left for London last week, eyebrows were raised. But it became obvious that the prime minister had chosen the heir apparent to his political legacy to stay back. On inquiry,  that she had been tasked by her father to look after her ailing grandmother, who couldn’t travel to London owing to her advanced years.

But Maryam’s permanent presence at the Prime Minister’s House, in her capacity as the prime minister’s ‘dependent’, has raised certain questions.

“If the Sharif family has chosen Maryam as the focal person to feed the ever-hungry electronic media, it is their personal decision. But the fact remains that Nawaz Sharif is also prime minister of this country, and the dissemination of crucial information about his health should have been handled through official channels,” a retired federal secretary who had served at the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the former secretary said that the Prime Minister’s Office also had a special position for the prime minister’s personal doctor, whose job it was to keep an eye on the leader’s health. “I think office of the medical officer would have been the best forum to relay information about the health of the prime minister,” he noted.

But no matter how noble the PML-N’s intentions, this has given their critics – especially the PTI – more ammunition.

“This is yet another example of the highly-personalized way they run government and party affairs: I personally have nothing against Maryam, but this is not the issue of the succession of a just any private citizen; this is the prime minister of Pakistan we’re talking about here,” commented a senior PTI office bearer.

“I have personally seen her give interviews on over half-a-dozen primetime TV shows, deliberating on the health of her father and making innuendos against his political adversaries; every possible attempt has been made to gain the sympathies of the general public,” said the PTI leader.

“No person in their right minds would go politicking over health issues. The health of any head of state around the world is official business and must be dealt in the same vein,” the leader concluded.

Maryam’s stay in the Prime Minister House and her reported engagement with the strategic media cell, have been regularly discussed on the media of late. Now, after her name surfaced alongside her brothers in the Panama Papers leak, questions will be raised whenever she tries to conduct official business.

According to PML-N insiders, Maryam will certainly be playing a key role, both during the next election campaign and in managing party affairs.

“After the Lahore High Court ruled against her appointment as head of the Prime Minister’s Youth Loan Scheme, she has been keeping a low profile. But it is no secret within the ruling party that she is their future leader and already givers her input on various issues,” said a serving PML-N lawmaker, who is privy to her role at the Prime Minister Office.

TAGGED:Nawaz Sharif
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

Britney Spears New Name in Mexico

Britney Spears Embraces New Identity as Xila Maria River Red in Mexico

Salman Agha Set to Lead Pakistan Cricket Team as All-Format Captain

Marnus Labuschagne Opening for Australia

Marnus Labuschagne Eyes Australia’s Test Opener Role in WTC Final 2025

Imran Khan bail 2025 PTI protest

PTI’s Barrister Gohar Confident in Imran Khan’s Bail

Kash Patel Epstein files 2025 podcast

FBI Director Kash Patel Sidesteps Musk’s Claim on Trump in Epstein Files

Post Archives

More Popular from Photonews

Carlos Alcaraz French Open 2025
Sports

Carlos Alcaraz Reaches French Open Final 2025 After Musetti Retires

2 Min Read
Kylie Jenner boob job 2025
Entertainment

Kylie Jenner’s Boob Job Reveal Drives Surge in Requests for Dr. Garth Fisher

2 Min Read
Stephen A. Smith
Sports

Stephen A. Smith Under Fire for Spreading False Brittney Griner Quote

3 Min Read
Entertainment

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Hire Meghan’s Lawyer Amid Family Tensions

On June 3, 2025, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz reportedly hired Jenny Afia, a prominent British…

June 3, 2025
Top NewsWorld

Trump and Musk Clash Over Tax Bill, Sparking Public Feud in 2025

On June 5, 2025, tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk burst into…

June 6, 2025
Sindh

Malir Jailbreak 2025: 126 Inmates Return, 90 Still at Large in Karachi

Malir Jail officials reported that 126 of the 216 inmates who escaped during a massive jailbreak…

June 5, 2025
Entertainment

Adolescence Becomes Netflix’s Second Biggest English TV Series

Netflix’s British psychological crime drama Adolescence became its second most-watched English-language series, with 141.2 million views…

June 4, 2025
PhotoNews Pakistan

Always Stay Up to Date

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Categories

  • World
  • Pakistan
  • Punjab
  • Sindh
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Balochistan
  • Azad Jammu Kashmir

 

  • Top News
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Videos
  • Tech
  • Offbeat
  • Blog

© 2024 Phototnews
All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?