Maryam among 100 influential daughters of heads of states

Maryam Nawaz Sharif is among the 100 high-profile influential daughters of heads of states and governments across the globe, according to a list of the influential daughters.

Maryam was originally involved in the family’s charity organisations and played a prominent role in managing her father’s successful re-election campaign in 2013. Now, she works for his party – the Pakistan Muslim League-N.

“She is always the focus of attention,” says BBC Urdu’s Asif Farooqi, who has met her several times. “She has clearly emerged as someone powerful, if not a designated political heir to her father.” Last year, her name appeared in the so-called Panama Papers, suggesting she and two of her brothers had links to undeclared offshore companies and accounts being used to acquire luxury properties in London.

Her father – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – dismissed the accusations calling the leaks the work of people “targeting me and my family for their political aims.” Sumeyye Erdogan, 31, is the youngest daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and widely seen as his favourite. “Her father refers to her as ‘my gazelle,’” says Irem Koker of BBC Turkish.

In Turkey that’s a word used to refer to people who are beautiful and precious. A US and British-educated political scientist, Sumeyye served as adviser to her father when he led the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and has accompanied him on numerous diplomatic trips.

In 2015, there was speculation that Sumeyye might run for a seat in the parliament, but in the event she did not. Currently, she has a lower profile role with a Turkish women’s rights advocacy group. In addition to her campaigning work, Sumeyye continues to be an outspoken supporter of her father and his government.

Another daughter, with an office of her own in the White House, Ivanka Trump has cemented her status as one of the most powerful women in the Donald Trump administration. The successful businesswoman, who will not have an official title or salary, is the latest addition to a growing list of high-profile daughters of heads of state around the world.