Daughter of Ex-Pakistani PM allowed to keep party office
Kamran Yousaf
Press TV, Islamabad
The Election Commission of Pakistan has dismissed a plea to disqualify the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from holding party office because of her conviction on corruption charges.
At last, there is something for the supporters of the former ruling party to cheer about. They are greeting each other after Pakistan’s election commission ruled that the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is eligible to hold party office. Maryam Nawaz, who is currently in jail over corruption charges, is the vice President of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz.
The party of Prime Minister Imran Khan moved a petition before the election commission, claiming that being a convict over corruption allegations, Maryam cannot hold any party position.
Last year, Maryam, along with his father Nawaz Sharif, was convicted of hiding her offshore assets. That conviction, however, later was suspended by the high court pending final appeal. The father and daughter were later arrested in another corruption case. But the latest decision of the election commission is seen as positive for Maryam’s political future.
The Sharif family has been embroiled in a series of legal and political challenges stemming from the leaked Panama Papers that showed the former ruling party owned assets abroad. While authorities accuse them of amassing the wealth through illegal means, the Sharifs insist the charges are politically motivated.
The last few years have been tough for the three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family. And now, the decision of the election commission to allow her daughter to retain party office is good news for the Sharifs, but her fate still hangs in the balance given the pending corruption cases.
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