Jump to content

Maryam Nawaz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DrRom (talk | contribs) at 15:10, 3 March 2019 (Fixed typo). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Maryam Nawaz
Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme
In office
22 November 2013 – 13 November 2014
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byLeila Khan
Personal details
Born
Maryam Nawaz Sharif

(1973-10-28) 28 October 1973 (age 51)[1]
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan[1]
Political partyPakistan Muslim League (N)
Spouse
​
(m. 1992)​
Children3[2]
Parent(s)Nawaz Sharif (father)
Kalsoom Butt (mother)
RelativesSee Sharif family
Alma materConvent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore
University of Punjab

Maryam Nawaz Sharif (Template:Lang-ur; born 28 October 1973), also known by her married name as Maryam Safdar (Template:Lang-ur) is a Pakistani politician who is the daughter of three-time Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and his spouse Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif.

Born in 1973 in Lahore, Sharif was initially involved in the family's philanthropic organisations. However, in 2012, she entered politics and was put in charge of Nawaz Sharif election campaign during the 2013 general election. In 2013, she was appointed as the Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme. However she resigned in 2014 after her appointment was challenged in the Lahore High Court.

In July 2018, she was sentenced to seven years in prison with £2 million fine on corruption charges in Avenfield reference case. On 19 September, the Islamabad High Court suspended her sentence.

Early life and education

See also: Sharif family

Sharif was born on 28 October 1973[4][5][6] in Lahore, Pakistan,[1][7][8] to Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Butt.[9]

She received her early education from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore.[2][10] She wanted to become a doctor[9] hence she enrolled in King Edward Medical College in the late 1980s, however after a controversy over illegal admission arose, she had to left the college without completing her degree.[11]

In 1992, she married Safdar Awan[12] at the age of 19.[2] Awan was serving as captain in Pakistan Army at that time[13] and was the security officer of Nawaz Sharif during the latter's tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan.[2] As of October 2017, she has three children with Safdar Awan:[2] One son Junaid and two daughters Mahnoor and Mehr-un-Nisa.[14]

She completed undergraduate studies from the University of Punjab, from where she received a master's degree[1] in literature.[2] In 2012, she was doing her Ph.D. degree on post-9/11 radicalization in Pakistan.[15]

In 2014, her degrees in M.A. (English Literature) and Ph.D. in Political Science were questioned by Lahore High Court.[16][17] It was unclear whether her Ph.D. degree was earned or honorary.[18] In 2018, she only declared her master's degree in English Literature while submitting records to the Election Commission of Pakistan.[19]

Following 1999 Pakistani coup d'état, she remained under house arrest for four months[15][20] before being sent to exile in Saudi Arabia together with the members of the Sharif family.[15]

Political career

Prior to entering in politics, she remained involved in the family's philanthropic organisation[15][21] and served as the chairperson of Sharif Trust, Sharif Medical City and Sharif Education Institutes.[22]

In November 2011, Shehbaz Sharif granted her permission to join the politics after she expressed her intention to participate in politics.[23] During her political debut, she began visiting educational institutes to give speeches on education and women’s rights.[15]

In January 2012, she tweeted "I’m only assisting [Nawaz Sharif] at the moment. No intentions of getting into electoral or practical politics".[24] She was made in-charge of Nawaz Sharif election campaign during Pakistani general election, 2013[25] where she reportedly played a prominent role.[21][26]

She was regarded as "heir apparent" of Nawaz Sharif[27][28][29] and the "presumed future leader" of the PML-N.[11][15]

In November 2013, she was appointed as the chairperson of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.[22] However her appointment was called into question by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which termed the appointment a case of nepotism and moved the Lahore High Court in October 2014. PTI also accused her of misusing the government funds for her own image-building.[17] On 12 November 2014, the Lahore High Court ordered the federal government to remove her.[30] The next day, Sharif resigned from the post of the chairperson-ship.[16][17][31]

In March 2017, she was selected as one of the BBC's 100 Women.[21] In December 2017, she was featured on The New York Times list of 11 Powerful Women Around the World for the year 2017.[32]

She became politically active in 2017 after her father Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in relation to the Panama Papers case. She campaigned for her mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, during the by-elections in Constituency NA-120.[5]

In June 2018, she was allocated PML-N ticket to contest the 2018 general election from Constituency NA-127 (Lahore-V) and PP-173.[33] In July, she was sentenced to 7 years jail term on corruption charges in Avenfield reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau.[34] As a result, she was disqualified from contesting election for 10 years.[35] Following which PML-N nominated Ali Pervaiz and Malik Irfan Shafi Khokhar to contest the 2018 elections in constituency NA-127 and PP-173, respectively.[36]

Panama Papers case

Further information: Panama Papers case

On 3 April 2016, the Panama Papers were leaked and Maryam was named in it along with her two brothers, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz. According to records uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Maryam was described as the owner of the British Virgin Islands-based firms Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited, and allegedly the owner of the properties in the United Kingdom owned jointly by her brothers.[37][38][39] In reaction, Maryam denied owning any company or property outside Pakistan and said "My brother has made me a trustee in one of his corporations which only entitles me to distribute assets to my brother Hussain’s family/children if needed".[40]

In September 2016, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan asking for action against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members for their alleged involvement in the Panama Papers scandal.[41] In January 2017, Maryam submitted her statement to the Supreme Court saying she is not dependent on her father Nawaz Sharif since her marriage in 1992.[42] On 16 February 2017, the lawyer of Maryam admitted before the Supreme Court that Maryam owned four flats in London for at least six months in 2006.[43] On 20 April, the Supreme Court announced split verdict and ordered formation of the joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate Sharif family’s assets for irregularities.[44] On 10 July, the JIT submitted its report to the Supreme Court in which it maintained that Sharif family has assets beyond known sources of income.[45] In its report, the JIT noted that Maryam misled the Supreme Court by presenting fake documents and stated that the Calibri font used on the declaration dated 2006 produced by Maryam was not commercially available before January 31, 2007.[46] The scandal was widely referred to as Fontgate.[47]

The Supreme Court announced its decision on 28 July 2017 and disqualified Nawaz Sharif from holding public office as he had been dishonest in not disclosing his employment in the Dubai-based Capital FZE company in his nomination papers.[48] The court also ordered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference against Sharif and his family members against corruption charges.[49][50][51][52]

In September 2017, the NAB filed three corruption references against Nawaz Sharif and his three children including Maryam in compliance with the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.[53] In October, an accountability court indicted Maryam, Nawaz Sharif and her husband in the Avenfield reference - one of three corruption references filed by the NAB - which pertains to the ownership of the Sharif family's four flats at Avenfield, an apartment on Park Lane in London.[54] After conducting 107 hearings of the Avenfield case since September 2017, the accountability court reserved its verdict in the case on 3 July 2018.[55]

On 6 July 2018, she was sentenced to 7 years jail term and two million pounds by the NAB on corruption charges in Avenfield reference case. She was given 7 years for abetment and 1 year for non-cooperation with the NAB. Both sentences will run concurrently.[34] As a result, she was disqualified from contesting election for 10 years.[35] The court held that trust deeds presented by Maryam before the apex court were fake and had been tampered with.[56] Her father Nawaz Sharif, and husband were also sentenced ten and one-years in prison, respectively.[57][58] The court also ordered the seizure of the Avenfield flats of the Sharif family.[59]

The next day, Maryam announced to return to Pakistan on 13 July to file an appeal against the decision.[60] The same day, NAB announced to arrest her and Nawaz Sharif upon their arrival in Pakistan[61] and obtained required arrest warrant.[62] She along with Nawaz Sharif was taken into custody by NAB on 13 July upon their arrival at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport and were airlifted to Rawalpindi's Adyala jail.[63] On 26 July, she challenged her sentence in the Islamabad High Court and filed a petition for bail.[64] The next day, the Islamabad High Court rejected her request for release on bail and adjourned the hearing till the end of Pakistani general election 2018.[65] During her time in detention, she spent significant amounts of time reading books.[66]

On 21 August 2018, Imran Khan-led federal government placed her on the Exit Control List in order to prevent her from leaving Pakistan.[67] On 11 September, her mother Kulsoom Nawaz died in London. Maryam along with her father and husband were released from Adyala jail on parole. They were flown to Lahore to attend the funeral of her mother.[68][69] Reportedly, Maryam and his father initially refused to be released on parole.[70][71] Funeral of Kulsoom Nawaz was held on 14 September 2018.[72] On 17 September, Maryam together with her father and husband shifted to Adyala jail.[73]

On 19 September, the Islamabad High Court announced its verdict on the bail petition and suspended the prison sentences against Maryam, her father and husband, and ordered their release on bail. The court ordered them to pay Rs 500,000 each as surety bonds before their release. They were released from the Adiala jail the same day and were flown to Lahore.[74][75]

Personal wealth

In 2018, in her affidavit, Maryam declared her assets worth Rs 845 million.[76]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Maryam Nawaz Sharif shares rare pictures of her Barat on 24th wedding anniversary". Daily Pakistan Global. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Zahra-Malik, Mehreen (27 October 2017). "In Pakistani Fray, Maryam Sharif Is on the Edge of Power, or Prison". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Politicians list assets at 'unbelievably' low values". pakistantoday.com.pk. 21 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Scions of Sharif, Bhutto dynasties debuting in electoral politics". Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  5. ^ a b Malik, Arif (19 January 2018). "Maryam Nawaz to take part in 2018 General Election: sources". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Birthday wishes pour in as Maryam Nawaz turns 44 today - Pakistan - Dunya News". Dunya News. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Maryam Nawaz to contest Pakistan General Elections". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Birthday wishes pour in as Maryam turns 44". The Nation. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  9. ^ a b Rehman, Asha’ar (11 March 2018). "The rise and rise of Maryam Nawaz". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Maryam Nawaz Sharif: Rising star on Pakistan's political firmament | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". DNA India. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Maryam Nawaz Sharif: A Budding New Political Dynasty In Pakistan?". International Business Times. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Not dependent on PM since 1992, Maryam tells SC – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Meet the 'first sons-in-law'". The News. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Elections were stolen in favour of PTI, says Nawaz". The Nation. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "The Rebirth of Maryam Nawaz Sharif". Newsweek Pakistan. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  16. ^ a b Sheikh, Wajih Ahmad (12 November 2014). "LHC asks govt to remove Maryam from loan scheme". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  17. ^ a b c Ghumman, Khawar (13 November 2014). "Maryam Nawaz resigns as head of youth loan programme". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Maryam to 'voluntarily' resign from PM loan scheme". DAWN.COM. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Educational backgrounds and professions of politicians revealed". Geo. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Blessed to be standing beside my father: Maryam Nawaz | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  21. ^ a b c "Maryam Nawaz makes it to BBC's '100 Women' list of political scions – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Maryam Nawaz appointed chairperson of PM's Youth Programme – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  23. ^ "Enter: Maryam Nawaz". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  24. ^ Jahangir, Ramsha (24 July 2018). "How political parties manipulate cyberspace for electioneering". Herald Magazine. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  25. ^ Rehman, Asha'ar (23 December 2016). "Daughter's day". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  26. ^ Perasso, Valeria (21 March 2017). "100 Women: Presidential daughters around the world". BBC News. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  27. ^ "A corruption probe threatens to undo Pakistan's prime minister". The Economist. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  28. ^ CNN, Sophia Saifi and Judith Vonberg,. "Former Pakistan PM sentenced to ten years in prison". CNN. Retrieved 7 July 2018. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Pakistan's former PM sentenced to 10 years in prison ahead of elections". Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  30. ^ Sheikh, Wajih Ahmad (12 November 2014). "LHC asks govt to remove Maryam from loan scheme". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  31. ^ "PM Youth Loan Programme: Facing court challenges, Maryam calls it quits – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  32. ^ Crichton, Kyle (15 December 2017). "11 Powerful Women We Met Around the World in 2017". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  33. ^ "Maryam Nawaz allotted 'pencil' symbol in NA-125 as independent candidate". Daily Pakistan Global. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  34. ^ a b "Guilty: Nawaz given 10 years, Maryam 7". DAWN.COM. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  35. ^ a b "AC announces 10 years imprisonment to Nawaz". The Nation. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  36. ^ Malik, Arif (7 July 2018). "Nawaz, Maryam will return to Pakistan within 10 days to appeal against court verdict". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  37. ^ "'Panama Papers' reveal Sharif family's 'offshore holdings'". Dawn Newspaper.
  38. ^ "Panama Papers: Nawaz family used offshore firms to own UK properties". The Express Tribune.
  39. ^ "Panama Leaks: PM's family pleads 'no wrongdoing'". The Nation. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  40. ^ "I do not own any company or property abroad: Maryam Nawaz". The News. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  41. ^ "PTI moves apex court for PM's disqualification". DAWN.COM. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  42. ^ "Not dependent on PM since 1992, Maryam tells SC | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  43. ^ "Maryam owned London flats for 6 months, admits counsel | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  44. ^ Iqbal, Nasir (21 April 2017). "Supreme Court gives reprieve to Sharif, but no clean chit". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  45. ^ Iqbal, Nasir (11 July 2017). "JIT report carries seeds of upheaval". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  46. ^ Zaidi, Hassan Belal (12 July 2017). "JIT accuses Maryam of 'high-Calibri' forgery". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  47. ^ Sune Engel Rasmussen; Pádraig Collins (13 July 2017). "'Fontgate': Microsoft, Wikipedia and the scandal threatening the Pakistani PM". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  48. ^ Bhatti, Haseeb (28 July 2017). "Nawaz Sharif steps down as PM after SC's disqualification verdict". Dawn.
  49. ^ "Panama Case verdict: Pakistan Supreme Court disqualifies PM Nawaz Sharif". Daily Pakistan. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  50. ^ Rasmussen, Sune Engel (28 July 2017). "Pakistani court removes PM Nawaz Sharif from office in Panama Papers case". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  51. ^ "Supreme Court's complete order in Panama Papers case". DAWN.COM. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  52. ^ "Panama Papers hearing LIVE updates: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif disqualified from holding office". indianexpress.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017. retrieved 28 July 2017
  53. ^ Raza, Syed Irfan (8 September 2017). "NAB okays graft references against Sharifs, Dar". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  54. ^ Asad, Malik (20 October 2017). "Court indicts Sharif family for corruption". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  55. ^ "Court to announce verdict in Avenfield case on July 6". Geo. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  56. ^ "Nawaz, Maryam convicted". The News. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  57. ^ "Nawaz Sharif sentenced to 10 years, Maryam 7 in Avenfield reference". Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  58. ^ "Pakistan ex-PM given 10-year jail term". BBC News. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  59. ^ "Nawaz Sharif sentenced to 11, Maryam 8 years in Avenfield reference". Geo. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  60. ^ "Nawaz, Maryam to return to Pakistan on Friday". Geo. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  61. ^ "NAB says ready to arrest Sharifs | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  62. ^ Wasim, Amir; Khattak, Inamullah (7 July 2018). "NAB obtains arrest warrants for Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  63. ^ Mazhar, Zahrah (13 July 2018). "Nawaz, Maryam taken into custody at Lahore airport; passports confiscated". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  64. ^ Asad, Malik (16 July 2018). "Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar file appeals against Avenfield verdict". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  65. ^ "Islamabad High Court rejects Nawaz Sharif's and Maryam Sharif's request for release on bail". The Economic Times. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  66. ^ "A meeting with Mian Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif". The Nation. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  67. ^ "Nawaz Sharif, daughter cannot leave Pakistan: Imran Khan-led government decides". The Economic Times. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  68. ^ "Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz released on parole". The News. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  69. ^ "Kulsoom Nawaz to be laid to rest on Friday; Nawaz, Maryam released on parole for funeral". DAWN.COM. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  70. ^ "Nawaz refused to be released on parole after Kulsoom Nawaz's death: report". The News. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  71. ^ "Nawaz, Maryam refused to sign parole application: Shehbaz | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  72. ^ "Begum Kulsoom Nawaz laid to rest in Lahore". The News. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  73. ^ Malik, Arif (17 September 2018). "Sharifs being shifted back to Adiala jail as five-day parole comes to an end". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  74. ^ "IHC rules in favour of Sharifs, suspends sentences handed by accountability court in Avenfield case". DAWN.COM. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  75. ^ "Nawaz, Maryam, Capt Safdar released after suspension of Avenfield sentence by IHC | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  76. ^ Khan, Iftikhar A. (21 June 2018). "Maryam declares assets worth Rs845m, Imran Khan's assets come up to Rs38m". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Maryam_Nawaz&oldid=885976395"