Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Punjab president and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said that party candidate for CM Punjab slot Maryam Nawaz will follow the footsteps of her father and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. Speaking to media persons outside Punjab Assembly, Rana Sanaullah said that Maryam will become the first chief minister of Punjab as a female candidate and will work for the development of the province He maintained that Punjab will play a key role in bringing political and economic stability in the country under the leadership of Maryam Nawaz. It is pertinent to mention here that the session of the Punjab Assembly to elect the Chief Minister will be held in Lahore today (February 26). Maryam Nawaz, the political scion of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, was nominated as the party’s candidate for the coveted position of the chief minister of the country’s most populous province, Punjab. Meanwhile, PTI – at the eleventh hour – named Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan as its new candidate for the post following the provincial police’s attempt to arrest its earlier nominee, Mian Aslam Iqbal.

It’s noteworthy that the PML-N has a substantial number of candidates, adding to the competitive nature of the election. The oath-taking ceremony occurred on Friday, with 321 out of 371 members of the Punjab Assembly taking their oaths. Since PML-N and its allies have a clear majority in the House there are no obstacles for Maryam Nawaz to secure the top position. A day earlier, PML-N clinched victory in the Punjab Assembly speaker and deputy speaker elections in the house numerically dominated by the party. PML-N’s leader Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan was elected as PA Speaker, amassing a commanding 224 votes out of the total 327 cast in the house. At the same time, Malik Zaheer Ahmed Channer, the PML-N candidate for the deputy speaker position, emerged victorious against Mohammad Moinuddin from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), garnering 220 votes.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)