PML-N moves Marriyum Aurangzeb to Punjab to assist Maryam Nawaz

• Marriyum has been elected as NA member twice before.
• Nawaz, Shehbaz have decided to make her Maryam's assistant.
• PML-N is the leading party in the provincial assembly.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership has decided to move the party's information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb to the Punjab Assembly so she can assist Maryam Nawaz once she is elected as the chief minister.

After the February 8 general elections, the Punjab Assembly is set to begin its maiden session on Friday (today), wherein the newly elected members will be sworn in.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and President Shehbaz Sharif have reached this decision after consultation. They decided that she would take oath as an MPA in the Punjab Assembly today rather than return to the National Assembly.

Marriyum was elected as a National Assembly member twice on a reserved seat and appointed as federal information minister as many times. This will be the first time she will be sworn in as an MPA in the Punjab Assembly.

While elections are yet to take place for the leader of the House in the Punjab Assembly, the PML-N has started preparing Maryam for the chief minister's slot as the party has a clear majority in the provincial legislature. 

Earlier this week, Maryam chaired a parliamentary meeting attended by 218 Punjab MPAs, at the Jati Umra in Lahore, including independent members, PML-N MPAs as well as members nominated for reserved seats. The sources said Maryam presided over the said meeting.

The sources said 137 successful candidates of PML-N, 58 women nominated for reserved seats and more than 22 independent members, who joined the PML-N after the elections, were present.