Sharifs under fire: Maryam Nawaz, PM Shehbaz face backlash in Pakistan – Lahore wedding and Davos move for Trump explained

A wedding conversation has become a major political debate in Pakistan. This comes after the comments made by a senior minister who began to defend the appearance of Maryam Nawaz at the wedding of her son. The observation has led to wide criticism from both media persons and the leaders of the opposition.

Senior minister defends Maryam Nawaz

Maryam Nawaz was criticized for the choice of her outfit at the wedding of her son. It’s because the selected outfit overshadowed that of the bride. Now, Minister Azma Bukhari has come in support of Nawaz and defended the action.

She added, “Allah has made her beautiful,” and that she gathers attention wherever she goes. The minister also questioned the outrage done selectively, by pointing at the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s second wedding held in 2015 and said, “Why was there no criticism then?”

‘This is about power, not fashion’

The political commentators quickly gave counterarguments and came to defend the statement. The famous journalist Mujeebur Rehman also told PTI that this problem was never about the clothing or about any celebration, but only about privilege and accountability.

“The issue is not the wedding — the issue is power. Those who run the state, collect taxes from the public, and make national decisions are not ordinary citizens”, he told PTI.

As per him, the ones who run the state, if they have funded lifestyles, can’t be treated as private individuals. He argued by saying, “Their lifestyle becomes a public matter.” Later, the journalist also pointed out that Nawaz has publicly talked about what he owns, along with the major assets, which, for a country witnessing inflation and unemployment, are “salt rubbed into the wounds of the public.”

Why are the Sharifs again on target?

The immediate backlash is not limited to the personal events. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was recently at the central spot of attention as he signed the ‘Board of Peace’ charter proposed by the President of the United States, Doland Trump, at the World Economic Forum in Davos. This increased the outrage across political leaders, with the opposition leaders calling it morally unjustified and with less transparency. The opposition leaders also argued that decisions surrounding sensitive issues like Gaza and Palestine cannot be made alone.