LAHORE: Sacked premier’s daughter Maryam Safdar kicked off her mother Kalsoom Nawaz’s by-election campaign on Tuesday. Maryam held a rally from her Jati Umra palace to Data Darbar. Talking to reporters, she declared her father’s disqualification as unjust and said that Nawaz would leave for London on Thursday. She said she talks to her mother daily. She said ups and downs come in life and this time would also pass. She hoped of winning the NA-120 by-election as her father had already won thrice from there. To a question, she said that her father’s attitude was not harsh after his disqualification but he is speaking out about hard realities. She added that Nawaz always spoke in the greater interest of the country. She was accompanied by Punjab minister Bilal Yasin, Chaudhry Shehbaz and Maiza Hameed. To a question, Bilal said that there was no challenge for their party candidate to win the by-elections in NA-120. Maryam went inside the shrine and prayed for her mother’s success. She also laid a floral wreath. Later, she arrived to inaugurate the party’s main election office at Mozang. She asked her supporters whether they accepted her father’s disqualification or not. Her workers shouted no. Maryam said Nawaz gave the nation the atom bomb, roads, Orange Line Metro Train, CPEC and Metro projects and ended terrorism and power load shedding. She asked the people to vote for her mother. She said Panamagate had proved her father as trustworthy and honest. Earlier, Khawaja Imran Nazir and Majid Zahoor also addressed the rally. Published in Daily Times, August 30th 2017.