Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif triggers controversy after chairing Punjab government meeting
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday stirred up a storm by presiding over three administrative meetings of the Punjab government. Sharif, the elder brother of current PM Shehbaz Sharif, does not hold any formal role in either the provincial or national government of Pakistan. The 74-year-old leader's unexpected participation was highlighted by the newspaper Dawn, which reported that he gave instructions to ministers and officials on various infrastructure projects.
Why does this story matter?
Nawaz's participation in the meetings has triggered questions about his current role within the government as he is officially only a member of the National Assembly. While Nawaz has stayed away from the public eye since the election results were declared last month, his daughter Maryam Nawaz recently became Pakistan's first female chief minister after being appointed as head of the Punjab government. However, Nawaz, chairing Punjab government meetings, has now raised suspicions about him being the de-facto CM.
Nawaz lost in February general elections
In the latest general election, Nawaz Sharif was on track to become Pakistan's premier for an unprecedented fourth term. However, his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), did not manage to win enough seats in the National Assembly to independently form a government. The majority of seats were clinched by independent candidates supported by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. This resulted in Shehbaz forming a coalition government with the support of five other parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Shehbaz Sharif elected Pakistani PM for 2nd term
Earlier this month, Shehbaz was elected Pakistan's prime minister for the second time in a vote by the country's newly formed parliament. With this, Sharif returned to the post he held until last August, when the parliament was dissolved ahead of the general election, and a caretaker government took charge. He secured 201 votes in the 336-member National Assembly, prevailing over rival Omar Ayub Khan, who got 92 votes.
Punjab Ramzan packages spark controversy
The controversy came just a week after around 25,000 Ramzan Nigehban packages distributed by the Punjab government had Nawaz's picture, instead of CM Maryam, on them. Questioned on that, Maryam replied, "Because it is Nawaz's government." She added that she has learned a lot from her father. "I could not have learnt in 100 years without him (Nawaz Sharif)...what I have learnt from him," she said.