ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday nominated Maryam Aurangzeb as minister of state for information and broadcasting; she will take oath today.
According to sources, names of Federal Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Senator Mushidullah Khan were also considered for the job of federal minister for information. However, the appointment of Maryam is a clear indication that Pervaiz Rashid can resume the charge of the ministry if he gets the clean chit in the ongoing investigation into the leak of the controversial story, they added.
The PML-N leaders have welcomed the appointment of Maryam as a state minister. Previously, she was working as parliamentary secretary of the Interior Division.
Maryam was elected an MNA on a reserved seat for women. She belongs to a political family of Rawalpindi; her mother Tahira Aurangzeb is also a member of the National Assembly. Maryam’s aunt Najma Hameed is a sitting senator of PML-N.
Maryam did her BA from Qauid-a-Azam University and completed her master degree in environmental development from Kings College England. She worked in WWF before joining PML-N. She is one of the close aides of Maryam Nawaz Sharif and was an active member of PML-N social media team.
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif, in a tweet, congratulated Maryam Aurangzeb and said she was one of the most dynamic and diligent team members of PML-N.
Meanwhile, in her first speech on PTV, Maryam said PTI's call to lockdown Islamabad was not against PML-N rather it was against the state. She said that Islamabad High Court had given detailed judgment on the matter while the Lahore High Court had also given its observation.
She said that now the matter was between the PTI and the state as it was responsibility of the state to protect life and property of its citizens.
She said there was no panic among residents of Islamabad on PTI's protest call as the city was open and functional today except for some specific spots.
The minister said, after the court orders if any untowards incident happened its responsibility would rest on PTI, however, the government was trying its best to avoid such a situation.
Maryam said the PML-N, being a political party, respected the judiciary and its orders and added law would take its course against the violators.
She said although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was a unit of federation, its Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had been giving call for confrontation against the federal government, which did not show political maturity.
