<\/p>\n
Known for her biting rhetoric and ability to both pull and rouse a crowd, Maryam has made a name for herself in a political sphere dominated by men.<\/p>\n
Maryam Nawaz, the apparent political heir of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, is a familiar face in Pakistani politics. Known for her biting rhetoric and ability to both pull and rouse a crowd, Maryam has made a name for herself in a political sphere dominated by men.<\/p>\n
The three-time \u2018first daughter\u2019 was born in 1974. She married Mohammad Safdar, then a captain in the Pakistan Army, in 1992 during her father\u2019s first term as prime minister.<\/p>\n
She largely remained behind the scenes till 2013 when she helped manage her father\u2019s re-election campaign. Maryam, then 39 years old, was the PML-N\u2019s counter to the popularity that PTI\u2019s Imran Khan enjoyed among the youth.<\/p>\n
Once her father was in power, Maryam was appointed as the chairperson of the Prime Minister Youth Loan Programme. However, her appointment was challenged by the PTI in the Lahore High Court (LHC), which raised questions about her qualifications and asked<\/a> the government to replace her. Subsequently, Maryam took charge of a social media wing within the party to counter the challenges posed by PTI.<\/p>\n By the time Maryam stood by her father at a series of rallies in the spring of 2018, she was already a name to reckon with, both within the PML-N and in national politics in general. She was considered a crowd-puller in her own right, and an organiser, delivering sharper responses to those she deemed her father\u2019s opponents.<\/p>\n