Maryam Nawaz Sharif (born 28 October 1973) is a Pakistani politician who has served as the 19th chief minister of Punjab since 26 February 2024. She is the first woman to hold the position of chief minister in Pakistan.
Born to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore, Punjab in 1973, she began her political career in 2012 when she took charge of the PMLN's election campaign for the 2013 Pakistani general election. Following the election, she was appointed the chairperson of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme in 2013. She resigned from the position in 2014 after her appointment was challenged in the Lahore High Court, who ordered to remove her, amid allegations of nepotism and dubious academic credentials. The Attorney General, representing Maryam, attempted to use her Wikipedia page to prove her credentials. After her election to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in the controversial 2024 Pakistani general election, Maryam was appointed chief minister of Punjab.
Early life and education
Maryam Nawaz Sharif was born on 28 October 1973 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, to Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Butt. She is of Punjabi Kashmiri descent and is the eldest of four siblings, including her sister Asma.
She received her early education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore, completing pre-nursery through the 10th grade. She then completed her FSc at Lahore College for Women, graduating in 1991.
After being rejected by Kinnaird College due to poor academic standing, her father, Nawaz Sharif, then-chief minister of Punjab, intervened by suspending the principal. However, a strike organised by college students and staff led to the principal's reinstatement. Maryam subsequently enrolled in King Edward Medical College (KEMC) in the late 1980s through transfer of certificate with the intention of becoming a medical doctor.
Maryam later enrolled at Fatima Jinnah Medical College in Lahore, but did not complete her education, leaving her studies in 1992 after her marriage to Capt. Safdar Awan. She married Safdar Awan, her father's military secretary, at the age of 19. Maryam has three children with Safdar: a son, Junaid, and two daughters, Mahnoor and Mehr-un-Nisa.
Maryam claimed to have completed her undergraduate studies at the University of the Punjab, from where she stated she had a master's degree in English literature. In 2012, it was reported that she was doing her PhD degree on post-9/11 radicalization in Pakistan and was described as being fond of postcolonial writers such as Chinua Achebe and Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
In 2014, the Lahore High Court questioned the validity of her master's degree in English literature and her PhD in political science. The deputy attorney general, who was representing Maryam, presented her academic credentials but withdrew them when asked whether her PhD was earned or honorary. He also said that the details presented before the court were from Wikipedia. By 2018, when submitting records to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Maryam declared only her master's degree in English literature.
Political career
Early political career
Maryam was detained for the first time on 12 October 1999, following the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état led by Gen Pervez Musharraf, which ousted her father, then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Arrested by female members of the Pakistan Army Corps of Military Police, she along with her mother Kulsoom Nawaz and other female members of the Sharif family was promptly transferred to her residence where they were placed under house arrest, in contrast to her father, who was taken to Adiala Jail. In November 1999, she, along with other female members of the Sharif family, was granted release on "humanitarian grounds" at the request of a Arab ruler. Maryam's first notable appearance was in a BBC interview, where she recounted her father's imprisonment by General Pervez Musharraf and appealed for public support for her father Nawaz. She and her mother gained prominence during this period. After being released from a four-month house arrest, she found herself shuttling between prisons, as she listened to the charges of corruption, terrorism, and tax evasion against her father. Later, she, along with 22 members of the Sharif family, was sent into exile in Saudi Arabia. During her long exile, she prioritized her role in raising her children during and also became fluent in Arabic.
Prior to entering politics, she remained involved in the family's philanthropic organisation and served as the chairperson of Sharif Trust, Sharif Medical City, and Sharif Education Institutes since 1997. All of these were established by her grandfather, Muhammad Sharif.
In November 2011, Nawaz Sharif granted her permission to enter politics after she expressed her intention to do so. In 2012, Maryam collaborated with PML-N leaders to prepare the Punjab Women Empowerment Package, initiated by her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, then chief minister of Punjab, in addition to playing a role in the implementation of the women-only Pink Bus scheme in Punjab during the same year. Reportedly, Maryam also contributed to various initiatives aimed at women's welfare in Punjab. During her political debut, she began visiting educational institutes to give speeches on education and women's rights.
She largely remained out of the spotlight till 2013 when she was put in charge of Nawaz Sharif's successful election campaign during the 2013 Pakistani general election where she reportedly played a prominent role. She was credited for her efforts in galvanizing public sentiment through social media prior to and after the 2013 election. At one point during the 2013 election campaign, she was considered a potential candidate for the chief minister of Punjab, although she ultimately did not run in the general election. Maryam was positioned by the PML-N as a counterbalance to the youth following enjoyed by PTI's Imran Khan. At one point, she was seen distributing laptops to students on behalf of the Punjab government, despite holding no public office either in the Punjab or in the federal government.
2013–2014: Chairperson of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme
After her father assumed power and became prime minister, she was appointed the chairperson of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme on 22 November 2013. 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. The PTI also accused her of misusing government funds for her own image-building. Questions were also raised regarding her academic credentials, including her degrees in M.A. (English Literature) and Ph.D. in Political Science. The Deputy Attorney General, representing Maryam, presented information from her Wikipedia biography page to prove her academic credentials. On 12 November 2014, the Lahore High Court ordered the federal government to remove her. The next day, Maryam resigned from the chairpersonship.
Initial controversies and challenges
Afterwards, Maryam established a Strategic Media Communications Cell within the Prime Minister’s Office and also assumed control of PML-N social media to address the challenges posed by PTI. In 2016, she garnered significant media attention when the then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, underwent open-heart surgery in the UK. Rather than accompanying her father to the UK, Maryam remained in Prime Minister House and assumed responsibility for media management. She provided updates on her father's medical condition to the press through her Twitter account. However her permanent residence in the Prime Minister House as a "dependent" of the prime minister also raised questions. Additionally, her alleged involvement with the strategic media cell had been a subject of media discourse. During Nawaz Sharif's absence from the country, she was proved to be an effective leader of PML-N.
In 2017, she faced accusations of supporting blasphemous content after a group of dissenting bloggers was abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies. After release of bloggers, they disclosed that they had resisted giving a forced confession. The confession they were pressured to make implicated Maryam in allegedly operating a blasphemous Facebook page called ‘Bhensa’ under the direction of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
She became involved in electoral politics in 2017 following her father Nawaz Sharif's disqualification from holding the prime ministership and his conviction by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in connection with the Panama Papers case. Maryam campaigned for her mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, during the by-elections in Constituency NA-120 (Lahore-III). Although her mother won the seat, the victory margin notably decreased. There was significant discussion surrounding Maryam's role in the election campaign. Many observers interpreted her involvement in the campaign as a significant step in her formal entry into the succession and party leadership race. After Nawaz Sharif's removal, Maryam was regarded as the party's anti-establishment figurehead.
Trial and conviction
Reportedly, the Judiciary of Pakistan also played a crucial role in attempting to sideline her from Pakistani politics and a systematic propaganda campaign was orchestrated by an officer of the ISI and over ten thousand paid interns of an organization tasked with conducting a social media campaign against Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif. In June 2018, when she was allocated a PML-N ticket to contest the 2018 general election from Constituency NA-127 (Lahore-V) and Constituency PP-173 Lahore-XXX, she was sentenced to 7 years in jail on corruption charges in the Avenfield case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), while her father Nawaz Sharif received a 10-year sentence in a 9-month-long trial. She received a 7-year sentence for abetment after being found "instrumental in concealing her father's properties," which also included 1 year for non-cooperation with the NAB. According to the verdict, she "aided, assisted, abetted, attempted and acted in conspiracy with her father".
As a result, she was disqualified from politics for 10 years following which PML-N nominated Ali Pervaiz Malik and Irfan Shafi Khokhar to contest the 2018 elections in Constituencies NA-127 (Lahore-V) and PP-173 Lahore-XXX, respectively. On 13 July 2018, Maryam along with her father Nawaz were arrested by NAB officials upon their arrival in Pakistan and subsequently transferred to Adiala Jail. After her mother Kulsoom Nawaz died in London on 11 September 2018 after suffering cardiac arrest, both Maryam and Nawaz were granted timed-parole in order to attend her funeral.
In July 2018, Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accused ISI officials and then Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar of pressuring him to ensure the conviction of Maryam and Nawaz and keep them out of politics. She later appealed against her conviction in the Islamabad High Court, after which she and her father were released from Adiala Jail on 19 September 2018 after the Islamabad High Court granted them bail and suspended their respective prison terms in the Avenfield corruption case.
Following Maryam's repeated tirades against Imran Khan and his wife, at one point during a rally, Khan made a remark which was criticized for being misogynistic and sexist against Maryam, cautioning her to be careful, suggesting that her husband, Safdar, might become upset over her "passionately" mentions of Imran during her speeches. The remark was criticized by some of Khan's own supporters and was widely condemned. Social media also remained buzzed with discussions about Maryam's age, clothing, and accessories At one point, the then Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur, claimed that Maryam had spent Rs 80 million on surgery and vowed to reveal her true appearance to the public by undoing the effects of cosmetic surgery. In a July 2019 interview with Voice of America, she acknowledged her political journey was more challenging than expected and admitted facing resistance from within her father's party, PML-N. Dawn wrote PML-N stalwarts were not particularly impressed by how rapidly she ascended through the ranks, especially in a party largely dominated by men and with minimal women in leadership positions. Throughout Imran Khan's four-year administration, Maryam continued to faced threats and intimidation from the government. On one occasion, her father Nawaz Sharif cautioned that if any harm befell his daughter, individuals including PM Imran Khan, COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, would bear responsibility.
In July 2019, Maryam released a secretly recorded video in which Accountability Judge Arshad Malik, who had sentenced Nawaz to seven years in jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference in December 2018, "confessed" he had been “pressurised and blackmailed” to convict Nawaz. Subsequently, the Islamabad High Court removed Malik from his post.
She faced another arrest by the NAB Lahore on 8 August 2019, this time in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills corruption case. She was taken into custody at Kot Lakhpat Jail where she was on her weekly visit to meet her father, Nawaz Sharif. She then approached the Lahore High Court which on 6 November 2019, granted her bail and ordered to release her. She alleged that authorities had installed cameras in her jail cell and bathroom.
Prominence during father's exile
On 19 November 2019, her father Nawaz Sharif departed for the United Kingdom just 20 days after being released on bail.
Maryam became increasingly involved in politics during her father's four-year self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. In 2019, she was appointed as vice president of PML-N. She then led anti-government rallies throughout the country, fiercely denouncing Imran Khan, the PTI, as well the military and judiciary for her father's ousting and allegedly facilitating the rise of the then-PTI chairman to power.
In 2020, during an interview with BBC Urdu, Maryam hinted at the potential for dialogue between her party and the then army leadership, whom her father, Nawaz Sharif, has accused of orchestrating his removal as prime minister. However, she suggested that such discussions would only take place after the PTI government had been removed from power.
On 19 October 2020, Maryam, along with the senior leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and numerous workers, entered the hallway in Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi to offer fateha. After the fateha concluded, PML-N workers began chanting slogans in support of Maryam. Her husband Safdar also started chanting slogans, which went against the protocol of the mausoleum. Many social media users regarded the incident as disrespectful and expressed their anger towards Safdar and Maryam. Later that night, personnel from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Sindh Rangers raided the hotel room where Maryam and her husband Safdar were staying, purportedly due to accusations of "violating the sanctity of Mazar-e-Quaid. Following Safdar's arrest, there were allegations that the Inspector General of Sindh Police was also kidnapped and coerced by officials of the ISI and Sindh Rangers into registering the First Information Report (FIR) against Maryam, and her husband Safdar for the violating the sanctity of Mazar-e-Quaid. Maryam also claimed that the Sindh police chief was forcibly taken to the ISI sector commander's office and pressured to sign her arrest warrants, however, when the IG Police showed reluctance, it was decided that the arrest would be conducted by the Sindh Rangers. Then Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa also took notice of the incident and instructed the Karachi Corps Commander to conduct an immediate inquiry.
On 21 August, her son Junaid got married in the London. However, Maryam and her husband Safdar were unable to attend the nikkah ceremony as their passports had been confiscated by the government due to ongoing legal proceedings against them.
On 29 September 2022, soon after Maryam's uncle Shehbaz Sharif came into power, the Islamabad High Court overturned her corruption conviction in the Avenfield case and refused to pursue many of the cases against her relatives, and she then became eligible to contest elections again. However, she seemed to step back as the Pakistan Democratic Movement, a coalition of political parties, gained momentum, and her uncle Shehbaz Sharif emerged as the opposition's candidate for the next prime minister. Following Shehbaz Sharif's election as the country's prime minister, her influence within the party waned, and her political presence became sporadic.
In October 2022, the Lahore High Court directed officials to return Maryam's passport, which she had surrendered since November 2019 when LHC had granted her post-arrest bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case but asked her to submit her passport as they feared she might flee the country. Following the retrieval of her passport, she traveled to London to reunite with her father, who had been there since November 2019.
Party leadership role
On 3 January 2023, Maryam was appointed as senior vice president of the PML-N, making her one of the PML-N’s senior-most leaders. The decision was approved by the Shehbaz Sharif, who was also the party's president. She was also appointed as the "Chief Organizer" of the party with the mandate to restructuring and reorganizing the party at all levels. Numerous senior leaders within the PML-N expressed regret and displeasure over the lack of consultation preceding Maryam's appointment, which positioned her as the second most senior figure in the party, following her uncle Shehbaz. A leader from the PML-N described Maryam's rise within the party as a direct indication from Nawaz Sharif to the Shehbaz that she, rather than Shehbaz, would be his successor. He further stated that any senior leader who dared to challenge her authority would face a fate similar to that of Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan who gradually withdrew from politics after 2018 general election. Some sources suggested that Nisar Ali Khan discontent stemmed from the increasing prominence given to Maryam within the party hierarchy. Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, resigned as senior vice president of PML-N within an hour of the announcement of Maryam's promotion He later quit PML-N in December 2023. He characterized Maryam's approach to politics as more aggressive and less inclined to consider opinions from individuals she may not favor. Similarly, Miftah Ismail, also decided to quit PML-N following his removal from his position as Federal Minister for Finance by her.
She was considered a challenger to her cousin, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif as the emergence of Maryam as a prominent figure within the PML-N dealt a blow to Hamza, who had been previously positioned as the natural successor to the Sharif brothers. However some political analysts viewed her appointment as a token gesture with little significance. They believed that her role would not have a substantial impact within the party, especially since she was not appointed as the party president, a position that holds absolute authority.
She underwent throat surgery in Geneva in early January before returning to Pakistan after spending three months in London on 28 January 2023.
While Nawaz Sharif was in London and ahead of the 2024 Pakistani general election, she conducted rallies and traversed across the country to garner support for her party. Despite skepticism regarding her leadership capabilities due to limited political experience, she managed to carry out organized rallies against the PTI government. Her mobilization of party workers at various venues, media appearances, and hosting of workers’ conventions contributed to sustaining the party's momentum.
In a February 2023 interview, she expressed that she had never considered joining politics at any point in her life. However, upon witnessing what she perceived as her father being oppressed by the powers that be, she decided to enter politics. After it was revealed that Nawaz Sharif is returning to Pakistan in October after ending his four-year self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom, Maryam became active again rallying support and emphasizing Nawaz Sharif's plans to revive the economy that had suffered under the PTI's rule. She began mobilizing party workers ahead of his father's return saying that "It will not be the return of an individual to the country. There will be the return of prosperity and hope for the country." A large rally was organized to welcome Nawaz upon his return to Pakistan on 21 October, marking the end of his four-year self-imposed exile in the UK.
Parliamentary debut
Ahead of the 2024 Pakistani general election, when the Supreme Court withdrew PTI's electoral symbol, the "cricket bat," Maryam welcomed the decision, stating that terrorists should not be allotted party symbols during a speech as she kicked off PML-N election campaign from Okara in January 2024.
On 12 January 2024, she filed nomination papers as a candidate of PML-N to contest the general election from constituencies NA-119 (Lahore-III) and PP-159 (Lahore-XV). This was her first time contesting in the general elections. On 21 January, reports emerged suggesting that PTI-backed candidate Mehr Muhammad Waseem declared his withdrawal in favor of Maryam from NA-119. However, this claim was debunked as fake news, as PTI had not awarded a ticket to anyone named Waseem in NA-119.
On the election day, she was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan on form 47 representing Constituency NA-119 (Lahore-III) and to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, representing Constituency PP-159 (Lahore-XV) as a PML-N candidate. For the national assembly seat, she secured 83,855 votes and defeated PTI-backed candidate Shehzad Farooq, who received 68,376. Whereas for the provincial assembly seat, she secured 23,598 votes, with PTI-backed candidate Mehar Sharafat Ali receiving 21,491 votes, narrowly defeating him. PTI claimed that she was defeated from constituency Lahore’s PP-159 by Mehar Sharafat Ali. PTI-backed Shahzad Farooq filed a petition in Lahore High Court against the NA-119 returning officer, alleging result manipulation however the court dismissed the petition and, advised the matter be taken to the ECP. Whereas in June, Mehar Sharafat Ali also contested Maryam's victory from PP-159 by filing an election petition, accusing her of rigging.
Following the election, she became the sixth member of the Sharif family to be elected to parliament. Later she was nominated by the PML-N as its candidate for Chief Minister of Punjab. Consequently, she relinquishes her seat in NA-119 (Lahore-III) and retaining her seat in PP-159 (Lahore-XV) to assume the role of Punjab's chief minister.
On 18 February 2024, it was reported that she had already begun fulfilling the duties of chief minister, receiving briefings from the Punjab chief secretary and Inspector General of Police at her residence. Additionally, she was provided with security measures typical of the chief minister's protocol, including two bulletproof cars, four police squad vehicles, a traffic wardens' pilot, and a signal jammer vehicle. On 23 February 2024, she was sworn in as a member of the Punjab Assembly for the first time, marking her parliamentary debut.
Chief Minister of Punjab (2024–present)
On 25 February 2024, Maryam submitted her nomination papers for the office of Punjab Chief Minister, competing against PTI-backed Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan. Maryam was backed by PML-N, and its allies such as Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q), and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).
The next day, she was elected unopposed as the 20th Chief Minister of Punjab after securing 220 votes. This occurred after PTI decided to boycott the elections following Rana Aftab's request to address the House was denied by the speaker, Malik Ahmad Khan. As a result, 103 MPs of PTI walked out in protest and Rana Aftab did not receive any votes. Later the same day, she took the oath as Punjab Chief Minister, thus becoming first female chief minister in the history of Pakistan, and also becoming the fourth member of the Sharif family to be elected to the position.
Due to Maryam's lack of parliamentary experience, former federal minister of Information, Marriyum Aurangzeb who instead of being assigned to the federal government, was transferred to the Punjab government to assist Maryam in handling the provincial government’s affairs. This caused a stir among the PML-N MPs in Punjab Assembly. She was appointed as a senior minister in the Maryam's provincial cabinet on 6 March. Former Federal Minister for Information, Pervaiz Rashid was also attached as a senior advisor to Maryam, to provide guidance on political matters in the government due to her limited experience. He actively participated in all administrative meetings chaired by Maryam since she assumed the role of Chief Minister of Punjab.
Shortly after assuming office as Chief Minister, she announced the establishment of first public cancer hospital to be built in Lahore. On 6 March, an 18-member provincial cabinet of Chief Minister Maryam, was sworn in.
In April 2024, following Maryam's accusation that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was supplying metal kite strings to Punjab, PTI leaders condemned Maryam's remarks about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suggested that the Sharif family had a history of animosity towards the province.
In May 2024, her government introduced the controversial Punjab Defamation Bill, aiming to "stop fake news". The opposition in the Punjab Assembly argued that the PML-N government intended to restrict freedom of speech under the guise of defamation. The President of the Lahore Press Club criticized the bill in a press conference, stating, "The Maryam administration is on a dictatorial path to shut the eyes and mouths of journalists." Nevertheless, Maryam supported the bill, asserting that it was essential to put an end to "mud-slinging" online.
On 29 June 2024, her government completed its first 100 days. Several Pakistani celebrities praised her government's initial achievements, but the endorsements were also met with accusations of paid promotion, prompting backlash from the public. According to ThePrint, Maryam's administration faced criticism for alleged corruption and inefficiencies, notably with farmers protesting against the "wheat scam" and incidents of blasphemy-related violence in the province. However, according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research, 55% of respondents in Punjab expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Maryam-led government. In November 2024, she ordered the distribution of 13th generation laptops to students within 90 days as part of a laptop and scholarship program. The program received 68,329 applications and aims to give laptops to 20,000 university students and 14,000 college students, with 32% from South Punjab. Maryam has given formal approval for the launch of ‘Air Punjab’, the province’s first-ever airline project, marking a major milestone in Punjab’s transport and aviation ambitions.
In April 2025, her government established the Crime Control Department (CCD) with vision of a "safe Punjab." However, by December 2025, the department was suspected of 900 extrajudicial killings. Within weeks of the CCD's formation, increased police encounters were recorded across Punjab. Asad Jamal, a Lahore-based human rights lawyer, said that Maryam has repeatedly asserted that crime in the province has declined, which he suggested indicates that the approach was supported at the highest political level. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he expressed doubt that there would be accountability, adding that authorities appeared to justify alleged "extrajudicial killings" as a means of reducing crime rather than investing in improved investigations, better-resourced law enforcement, and stronger intelligence systems.
Political positions
Minority rights
Maryam's father Nawaz Sharif ended his exile and returned to Pakistan in 2007 prior to the 2008 Pakistani general election in which her father's party, Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), emerged as one of the two largest parties. During PML-N's government in Punjab, criticisms were leveled against the party for being perceived as soft on terrorism and sectarian groups, and for its inability to improve Punjab's economy. However, Maryam was noted for advocating minority rights and opposing political alliances with banned militant outfits. Maryam expressed regret over the inability of her father's party, PML-N, and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to maintain their short-lived coalition following the election. However Maryam largely refrained from active involvement in politics.