Like all who love Nawaz Sharif, I, too, am heartbroken by the fact that Nawaz Sharif, an unwavering symbol of determination and resilience, will no longer be in the race for Prime Minister. However, every cloud has a silver lining. My sadness at not seeing my leader guide Pakistan towards true and lasting prosperity aside, I am extremely happy to see Maryam Nawaz Sharif finally getting the reward of her six-year practical struggle. The nation knows that it is impossible to find an example of the achievements of the PML-N under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif but what to do when a man who holds his word above all has spoken already? Before the election, he had asserted from the campaign bandwagon that he would only proceed towards prime ministership if his party got a simple majority. I strongly believe that it will not be easy for any other politicians to serve as much as Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz Sharif’s stature in the field of politics will always be the highest, Nawaz Sharif was a brand, is a brand and will remain a brand. However, apples do not fall far away from the tree. His legacy would be continued by the excellence of Madam Maryam Nawaz. As is the norm in our patriarchal society, the minute the nomination of Maryam Nawaz as the Chief Minister of Punjab was announced, the usual toxicity took hold. There were many who did not waste time in peddling the narrative that if developed countries like America were not ready to give the top position to Hillary Clinton, why should Maryam Nawaz get to lead the biggest province of the country? I wonder why such men forget to take the names of Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Bangladesh’s Prime Ministers Hasina Wajid and Khaleda Zia. It should always be remembered that Maryam Nawaz has repeatedly proven her mettle as the daughter of an extremely wise lady, Kulsoom Nawaz, and a brave and humble father, whom she feels proud to call her leader, Nawaz Sharif. Maryam Nawaz is all set to be sworn in as the first woman chief minister of Punjab province this month, becoming the fourth from the Sharif family to be sworn in for the coveted post. Maryam Nawaz knows that she would be competing with the development achievements of the internationally recognized Shahbaz Speed. After the nomination of the chief organizer of the Muslim League, Maryam Nawaz. as the chief minister, the party seems to be geared towards yet another chapter of success in Punjab, and why wouldn’t they? Maryam Nawaz, who has all the qualities to achieve progress, has already proved her ability and bravery at every level. No matter how ferocious, her critics have also acknowledged that after Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz alone has proved to be a great crowd-puller. People come to hear her speak and the media puts her address in the headlines. That Maryam Nawaz has never made meaningless, purposeless, frivolous and out-of-context statements speaks volumes about her political maturity. The way she kept the party together in the absence of Nawaz Sharif is commendable but she did not stop there. Even when her father had landed in Lahore, her struggle continued. Her participation in the campaign as she tirelessly worked with her leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and other colleagues in the recent election campaign would go down in history as one of the most shining innings of women politicians. Maryam Nawaz’s political journey began in 2018 when Judge Muhammad Bashir sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years, Maryam Nawaz to seven years and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar to one year of imprisonment. Realising the direness of the situation, she had tweeted a bold tweet, “This sentence is very small.” She noted how her courage to fight against injustice now knew no bounds. It is no secret how Judge Muhammad Bashir had also rejected a request to postpone the decision for seven days due to Kulsoom Nawaz’s severe illness. Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz made more than 100 court appearances in those nine months. The world knows that Maryam Nawaz returned home with her leader Nawaz Sharif and was arrested. But. Still, everyone stands witness to the fact that not a single flowerpot was broken in the entire country on this occasion. No party leader was allowed to create anarchy to attack military installations just because their leadership had been wronged. The PML-N did not raise any riots witnessed on May 9 to protest the unfair sentences given to the Sharif family. Is it a secret how Maryam Nawaz continued to fight for justice even after her passport was confiscated by the court? Today, Maryam Nawaz knows well where the PML-N stands, especially after the current elections. She is also well aware that some day or the other, Nawaz Sharif has to leave politics at some point and henceforth, someone would have to fill the big shoes. It is increasingly evident Nawaz Sharif is no longer standing at the wheel. Now, she would have to steer this ship herself and take it to the destination. It is a historic day, indeed. Mian Nawaz Sharif’s full support and guidance will always be available to her. However, she knows that she not only has to maintain the identity, the prestige, and the position given to her by Nawaz Sharif but would also have to work twice as hard to increase the popularity of the party. There could not be a better person for this task. Maryam Nawaz knows how to adopt an aggressive narrative to keep the party image strong and counter the propaganda of the opponents. All these challenges staring her in the open: Maryam Nawaz knows them well and she is ready to fight all of them. She would have to form a team that is unparalleled in hard work, ability, truth, honesty and loyalty, for which she has made all the arrangements already. Shahbaz Sharif has been the most successful chief minister in Pakistan’s history. Maryam Nawaz knows that she would be competing with the development achievements of the internationally recognized Shahbaz Speed, whose long list is also envied by political enemies. Maryam Nawaz knows that she also has to fight the traditional opposition of the male society. She would have to win the trust of not only senior colleagues and all stakeholders but the entire province. Punjab demands work, day in and day out so that it can eye a new stage of development. As someone who has seen these realities up close, I would like to appeal to the male media of the country: don’t follow the path of criticism, welcome our to-be female chief minister with an open heart and give her the same space and opportunity as has been given to male chief ministers. That’s all that she wants. That is definitely what she deserves. The writer is ex-MPA Punjab Assembly. She is a close aide of Maryam Nawaz and tweets at @hinaparvezbutt