Maryam Nawaz to contest Pakistan General Elections: Report

Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has decided to take part in the next General Elections, a leading daily reported on Friday.

Maryam Nawaz, 44, is set to contest the election from the NA-120 constituency in Lahore from where her father was elected in the 2013 polls, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing a source from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.

She may also campaign for the provincial assembly from the PP-140 seat, the source told the daily.

Maryam Nawaz, however, has yet to confirm or deny the reports of her running in the upcoming elections.

She was born in Lahore on October 28, 1973 and claims to have taken an interest in politics since the 1999 coup that sent her family into exile.

The former Premier's daughter has been in the spotlight facing corruption cases since the Panama Papers were released in April 2016.

The leaks described her as "the owner of British Virgin Islands-based firms Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited, incorporated in 1994 and 1993".

Maryam Nawaz campaigned for her mother Begum Kulsoom Nawaz last year during the NA-120 by-poll for Lahore seat following her father's disqualification from public office by the Supreme Court on July 28.

Since Sharif's ouster for being "dishonest", Maryam Nawaz took a more active and visible role in party politics.

She also faced criticism from senior politicians who said that she never held a position within a political party and lacked the experience necessary to contest the general election or become an elected leader.

--IANS

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