Maryam Sharif LAHORE, Feb 26 (AFP): The daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif took control of Pakistan's most populous region on Monday, becoming the country's first woman to govern a province.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif was elected chief minister in her family's long-time power base of Punjab province, after Pakistan held national and provincial polls on February 8.
Her father-widely known as the "Lion of Punjab"-served as Pakistan's prime minister three times, his last stint ending in 2017.
Her uncle Shehbaz, also a previous premier, looks set to rule again after the family's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party agreed to govern in coalition with the Pakistan Peoples Party.
The alliance also saw the PPP's Punjab lawmakers back Maryam for the chief minister's office, where she will preside over the province of 127 million Pakistanis-more than half the national populace.
Maryam said Monday that her appointment was "the making of history".
"It is a victory for every woman, a triumph for every daughter and mother," she told regional lawmakers after they elected her to the role.
"It is proof that being a woman and being a daughter cannot constrain your dreams," she said, ahead of a swearing-in ceremony scheduled for later that day.
Nepotism and cronyism are entrenched in Pakistani politics, with family connections sometimes boosting elite daughters into power despite social conservatism shutting most women out.
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