Is 'women's rule' in Punjab harbinger of hope?
Pakistan
The offices of CM, senior minister and information minister will be ruled by women
By Hassaan Ahmed
In a first, Punjab will be ruled by women as three coveted offices in the province are being held by them.
The development coincides with the International Women’s Day (IWD) - March 8. Three women are in the power corridors in Punjab in the post-election set-up.
Maryam Nawaz - the political scion of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif – recently became the first woman chief minister of a province in the country. She took oath of the prestigious office on Feb 26.
Soon after taking the reins of the province, Maryam inducted two other women in her team and gave them huge responsibilities in Punjab.
Marriyum Aurangzeb was made senior minister in Punjab while Azma Bokhari has been assigned the daunting task of information minister.
Now, the office of chief minister, senior minister and information minister will be ruled by three ‘powerful’ women in Punjab.
Also Read: Maryam Nawaz advocates for woman chief minister in all provinces
One may say there is ‘Women’s Rule’ in Punjab in the new set-up.
MARYAM NAWAZ
Maryam Nawaz came into prominence after the ouster of her father from the prime minister office in 2017 following the disqualification of the elder Sharif in the Panama Papers case.
She addressed mammoth rallies across Punjab demanding release of her father from jail during the government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
She was known as the ‘crowd-puller’ in the PML-N and became the party’s chief organiser and senior vice president.
Maryam led the election campaign of PML-N with her father and herself contested for both the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.
She won both the seats from Lahore but opted to vacate her National Assembly seat in a bid to become the first woman chief minister of Punjab.
“I want to see women chief ministers in other provinces too,” said Maryam Nawaz, while speaking in an event in Lahore on Friday in connection with the International Women’s Day.
Read More: Let's salute the women who have made Pakistan proud
“Women harassment is my red line,” she said.
MARRIYUM AURANGZEB
Marriyum Aurangzeb will serve as the first senior minister in Punjab with several powerful portfolios.
She first became an MNA on a reserved seat in 2013 and started working in the social media team of PML-N.
Marriyum Aurangzeb came into prominence when Pervaiz Rashid was sacked as information minister in 2016 in the wake of ‘DawnLeaks’.
Marriyum successfully filled the vacuum and never looked back since then.
She became the information minister after removal of Pervaiz Rashid and vociferously defended her party and government on the TV screens.
She was officially made PML-N’s spokesperson in 2018.
Marriyum Aurangzeb once again became an MNA in 2018 on a reserved seat and this time, she showed her abilities from the opposition benches.
She was information minister once again in 2022 when Shehbaz Sharif became the prime minister for the first time and remained in the office until the expiry of his government.
In 2024, her name was there on both of the lists on reserved seats (National Assembly and Punjab Assembly) but this time she opted to stay in Punjab to help Maryam Nawaz who is a new entrant in the parliamentary and government affairs.
More to Read: 12 women clinch NA seats by defying odds
Many observers think that Nawaz Sharif has tasked Marriyum Aurangzeb to stay with Maryam Nawaz as her PSO in Punjab.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, who has studied at Kings College London, has been given several important portfolios in the cabinet of Maryam Nawaz with the status of senior minister.
She will be holding the portfolios of Planning and Development, Special Initiatives, and Environment and Forestry.
AZMA BOKHARI
She will handle the media affairs of Punjab government as she has been given the portfolio of information minister.
Azma Bokhari, a lawyer by profession, first became an MPA in 2002 on a reserved seat from the PPP. She once again became an MPA on reserved seat in 2008 on the ticket of the PPP.
Azma joined the PML-N in 2013 and it is her fifth consecutive term as an MPA.
She has also served as parliamentary secretary for information and culture in Punjab Assembly from 2017-18.
Her husband Samiullah Khan is also a seasoned parliamentarian who became an MPA for third time from Lahore.
Azma Bokhari vehemently presented her party’s point of view on TV screens during the last five years and she is currently serving as PML-N’s provincial information secretary.
Azma remained a strong critic of PTI’s two former chief ministers Usman Buzdar and Parvez Elahi during the last five years.
Read More: 18-member Punjab cabinet takes oath
Women between the ages of 15 and 25 have a literacy rate of 65 percent, but their employment rate is just 20.65 percent in Pakistan.
It is hoped that many ambitious women will now join politics after witnessing the new Punjab set-up where women will be ruling for next five years.
