ISLAMABAD: The chief organiser of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz on Sunday said that she has no intention to become prime minister or chief minister Punjab if her party wins the polls in next general elections.

Talking to a select group of journalists, she made it clear that neither she had any ambition to become the prime minister or chief minister nor her son Junaid Safdar had any intention to join politics.

“At the moment he (Junaid) has no intention to join politics as he has to take the responsibility for his home first,” she added.

She blamed the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the skyrocketing inflation and sinking economy of the country.

“Shehbaz Sharif’s focus is on good governance…the coalition government could not turn a blind eye to rising inflation, but we are facing today is due to PTI,” she said without elaborating further.

Responding to a question, she said that PML-N would hold public rallies near the upcoming elections, adding the entire programme of the Tanzeemi (organising) Convention was arranged by Nawaz Sharif himself.

She said that the PML-N’s social media wing was working on a voluntary basis. “We find it difficult to repeat even true accusation,” she added.

The PTI, she said, recruited keyboard warriors on the government’s expenditure. She added that their competition was with very rude people.

Maryam also announced that her “party is setting up its own IT wing” to counter the propaganda of their opponents.

Moving towards Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she called him her elder brother, saying that he was not angry with the party — as it was well in the debate why Abbasi resigned from the party’s key post soon after Maryam’s election as the party’s senior vice-president and chief organiser’s posts.

Abbasi wanted to bring the youth forward in the party, she added.

She also said that she wanted to work under the supervision of her seniors.

Replying to a question, Maryam Nawaz said that the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was not an “electoral alliance”. “It cannot be called an electoral alliance for now,” she added.

She said that strengthening her party across the country, including in Karachi and Sindh is her mission.

“One of the objectives of her visits is to find the best candidates for the next elections,” she further said.

She avoided commenting on the recent controversial statement by her husband — Captain Safdar (retd) — saying that it was his personal opinion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023