Maryam Nawaz to contest from father's seat in Pakistan general elections

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of ousted Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif will reportedly contest from the Lahore seat in the forthcoming Pakistan general elections later this year.

She is set to contest the election from the NA-120 (National Assembly of Pakistan) constituency in Lahore, where her father was elected in the 2013 polls. She further plans to campaign for the provincial assembly from the PP-140 (Constituency of Provincial Assembly of Punjab) seat.

However, no confirmation has yet been made by her. 

Maryam, 44, was being groomed as the second generation leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by Mr Sharif. The 68-year-old three-time prime minister had to resign last year after the Supreme Court disqualified him in the Panama Papers case.

Maryam has been in the spotlight over corruption references since the Panama Paper leaks saga was unearthed last year.

Also, she has been directed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for filing references related to cases on offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, Al-Azizia Steel Mills, and London's Avenfield properties, during a recent hearing by the accountability court.

General elections are scheduled to be held in Pakistan in mid-2018.

Earlier on Friday, former Pakistan President and co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari had announced that he would contest the elections from his native Nawabshah in Sindh province.

He had also announced that his party would not support PML-N in the upcoming elections in Pakistan.

(With ANI inputs)