Shahbaz Sharif

Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the 20th prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously been in the role between April 2022 to August 2023. He has also served as the president of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) and chief minister of Punjab three times, making him the longest-serving person in the role.

Shehbaz was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in 1988 and to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1990. He was again elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1993 and named leader of the opposition. He was elected as chief minister of Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, for the first time on 20 February 1997. After the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état, Shehbaz, along with his family, spent years of self-exile in Saudi Arabia, returning to Pakistan in 2007. Shehbaz was appointed chief minister for a second term after the PML-N's victory in Punjab province in the 2008 Pakistani general election. He was elected as chief minister of Punjab for the third time in the 2013 general election and served his term until his party's defeat in the 2018 general election. During his tenure as chief minister, Shehbaz undertook development initiatives including transportation in Lahore. Shehbaz was nominated as the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N after his brother, Nawaz Sharif, was disqualified from holding office in the wake of the Panama Papers case.

He was nominated as the leader of the opposition after the 2018 election, and elected prime minister in 2022 after the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was passed in the National Assembly. After the PML(N) won a minority in the 2024 general election, Sharif became prime minister with a coalition government.

Early life and education

Shehbaz was born on 23 September 1951 in Lahore, West Punjab. His father, Muhammad Sharif, was an upper-middle-class businessman and industrialist whose family had emigrated from Anantnag in Kashmir for business, and eventually settled in the village of Jati Umra in Amritsar district, Punjab, at the beginning of the twentieth century. His mother's family came from Pulwama. Following the partition of India and Pakistan's independence in 1947, his parents migrated from Amritsar to Lahore. He has two brothers, Abbas Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz is a three-time elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. Nawaz's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, was the First Lady of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the current Chief Minister of Punjab.

Shehbaz attended St. Anthony High School, Lahore and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Government College University, Lahore. After his graduation, he joined his family-owned Ittefaq Group. He was elected president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 1985. Shehbaz can speak Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, English, German and Arabic.

Early political career

Shehbaz began his political career after getting elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-122 (Lahore-VII) as a candidate of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (JI) in the 1988 general election. He secured 22,372 votes and defeated a candidate of Pakistan People's Party (PPP). However, his term prematurely ended in 1990 when the assemblies were dissolved.

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-124 (Lahore-IX) as a candidate of IJI in the 1990 general election. He received 26,408 votes and defeated a candidate of Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDA). In the same election, he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of IJI. He secured 54,506 votes and defeated Jehangir Bader.
He vacated the Provincial Punjab Assembly seat to retain his National Assembly seat. His term prematurely ended in 1993 when the assemblies were dissolved.

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) in the 1993 general election. He received 28,068 votes and defeated a candidate of PPP. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of PML-N. He secured 55,867 votes and defeated Yousuf Salahuddin. He vacated the National Assembly seat and retained his Provincial Punjab Assembly seat. Shortly after the election, he was elected Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. During his tenure as leader of the opposition, he remained in the United Kingdom for some years due for medical treatment. In his absence, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was made acting leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly. His term as Member of the Punjab Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition prematurely ended in November 1996 when the assemblies were dissolved.

First term as chief minister of Punjab (1997–1999)

Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of PML-N in the 1997 general election. He received 25,013 votes and defeated a candidate of PPP. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of PML-N. He secured 47,614 votes and defeated Hanif Ramay. He was elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab for the first time and was sworn in as 13th Chief Minister of Punjab on 20 February 1997.

During his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab, he was praised for his good governance in the province because of his focus on health, education, agriculture and industrial sectors. He undertook several development projects in Lahore and launched a crackdown on criminals across the province to maintain law and order in the province.

He held his office until 12 October 1999 when was removed from the post of Chief Minister in the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état. Following the coup he was imprisoned. In December 2000, he along with his immediate family members was exiled forcibly to Saudi Arabia following the request of the Saudi royal family.

While in exile in Saudi Arabia, Shehbaz was elected as the President of PML-N in August 2002 and moved to the United Kingdom in mid-2003 for medical treatment.

Trial and exile (1999–2007)

In 1999, a complainant Saeeduddin lodged FIR and accused Shehbaz of allowing the Sabzazar police, as the Chief Minister of the Punjab, to kill his son along with other men in a fake encounter. In the encounter, his two sons and three other people were killed by the police.

In 2003, an anti-terrorism court summoned Shehbaz and five others accused in alleged extrajudicial killings in 1998. He was in the exile at that time and failed to show-up to the court. Later, the court issued an arrest warrant for Shehbaz. In 2004, Shehbaz attempted to return to Pakistan to appear before the court, but was forcibly deported back to Saudi Arabia.

In August 2007, the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its verdict which allowed Sharif brothers to return to Pakistan. In September 2007, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan ordered police to arrest Shehbaz based on a 2003 arrest warrant. He later got bail from anti-terrorism court. Shehbaz denied ordering the alleged killings and said the charges against him were politically motivated. He further said that in 2004, he had landed at the Lahore Airport wanting to appear before the court, but was sent back to Saudi Arabia by the government in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court. In 2008, he was acquitted by the Anti-Terrorism Court in the ''Sabzazar case''.

Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected as the president of PML-N for a second term in August 2006 and returned to Pakistan along with Nawaz Sharif in November 2007.

Shehbaz was ineligible to take part in the 2008 general election due to Sabzazar case, but a few months later he was acquitted by the court.

Second and third term as chief minister of Punjab (2008–2018)

Shehbaz was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab unopposed from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II) as a candidate of PML-N in the by-election held in June 2008. Subsequently, he was elected unopposed as the Chief Minister of Punjab, receiving 265 votes unopposed after securing 265 votes. Later, in June 2008, while holding the Assembly seat from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II), Shehbaz contested for a seat in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-10 (Rawalpindi-X). He was elected unopposed but resigned from this seat due to a dispute regarding his eligibility to serve as chief minister.

His second term as chief minister was interrupted on 25 February 2009 when the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared him ineligible to hold public office, resulting in the vacancy of his seat in the Punjab Assembly and his removal from the office of Chief Minister. On 1 April 2009, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court overturned the earlier decision, reinstating Shehbaz as chief minister.
In the 2013 general election, Shehbaz was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from three Constituencies PP-159 (Lahore-XXIII), PP-161 (Lahore-XXV) and PP-247 (Rajanpur-I), as a PML-N candidate. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-129 (Lahore-XII). Sharif chose to retain his Provincial Assembly seat PP-159 (Lahore-XXIII) and was re-elected as chief minister of Punjab for the third time, receiving 300 votes in the 371-member Provincial Assembly.

In 2016, Shehbaz was elected unopposed as the president of Punjab chapter of PML-N in intra-party elections.

On 29 July 2017, following the disqualification of outgoing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after the Panama Papers case decision, Shehbaz was named leader of the PML-N and their candidate for the office of prime minister. However, he was not a member of the National Assembly, so Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was asked to serve as the interim prime minister of Pakistan, allowing Shehbaz enough time to enter the legislature through a by-election. Later, Shehbaz decided to complete his tenure as the chief minister of Punjab until the next general election.

In December 2017, Shehbaz was named as the candidate of PML-N for the office of prime minister in the 2018 general election.

In February 2018, Shehbaz was appointed the interim president of the PML-N. In March 2018, he was elected unopposed as the president of PML-N. It was reported that the establishment had previously offered Shehbaz the position of prime minister of Pakistan on several occasions, which he did not accept.

Leader of the Opposition of Pakistan (2018–2022)

Shehbaz Sharif was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-132 (Lahore-X) in the 2018 Pakistani general election. In the same election, he was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency PP-164 (Lahore-XXI) and PP-165 (Lahore-XXII). Following his successful election, he abandoned his Punjab seats in favour of the National assembly seat.

On 16 August 2018, he was nominated by PML-N for the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan. The following day, he secured 96 votes, losing to Imran Khan. Later, he was nominated for the office of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly by 111 members of the National Assembly. On 20 August 2018, he was notified as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. Concurrently, he served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 22 December 2018 until 28 November 2019, when he resigned and was succeeded by Rana Tanveer Hussain Rana Tanveer Hussain.

In September 2020, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Shehbaz Sharif on charges of laundering Rs. 7,328 million (US$41 million) through a purported scheme involving close associates and family members. NAB had previously frozen 23 properties owned by Sharif, his son, and other relatives, alleging these assets were acquired through unknown sources of income and that foreign funds were funneled via fake transactions through a company owned by Sharif's son-in-law, Haroon Yousaf.

Following his arrest, Sharif was held in custody during the investigation. In November 2020, he was temporarily released on parole to attend his mother's funeral prayers. On 14 April 2021, he was granted bail by the Lahore High Court in the money laundering case. On 12 October 2022, Shehbaz and his son were acquitted on all charges of corruption and money laundering by the Special Court Central in Lahore. After the verdict, Sharif's lawyer Amjad Pervez described the case as "totally baseless and politically motivated."

First premiership (2022-2023)

On 10 April 2022, Sharif was nominated as a candidate for Prime Minister by opposition parties following the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan after the 2022 Pakistani constitutional crisis.

He was elected prime minister on 11 April 2022. He took the oath of office on the same day, administered by the Chairman of the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, acting for President Arif Alvi, who was on medical leave after complaining of "discomfort". As the Pakistan Democratic Movement's government faced the worst economic crisis in Pakistan since its independence, the Sharif-led administration hoped for a relief deal with the IMF and improved relations with the United States, but received only a limited response. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang has expressed clear concerns about Pakistan's internal instability, despite China providing economic support for its longtime ally.

Second premiership (2024–present)

On 3 March 2024, Sharif was re-elected as prime minister of Pakistan for a second term, as he received 201 votes against 92 votes for PTI-backed Omar Ayub Khan. He formed a minority government with Pakistan People's Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, and the Balochistan Awami Party. Imran Khan called the coalition a "daylight robbery" and warned "against the misadventure of forming a government with stolen votes."

Domestic policy

Sharif attempted to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the largest political party in Pakistan. His government saw the initiation of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam and attempted to pass new constitutional amendments making changes to the Judiciary of Pakistan, though opposition groups alleged that their members were abducted and 'coercive tactics' were used by his government to attempt to pass the amendments.

Protests have continued to proliferate in Pakistan, as economic conditions and political pressures continue. IMF conditions led to increases in tax rates, while purchasing power declined in tandem with stagnant wage growth, outpaced by inflation.

Shehbaz's government continued the unofficial ban on social media platform Twitter (X) imposed by the Kakar caretaker government, and installed an internet firewall. The internet firewall was created by the government in order to block content it deems propaganda. The firewall was widely criticized for censorship. Furthermore, the internet firewall project was estimated to cost $300 Million. The firewall resulted in the internet worsening in Pakistan and negatively affecting businesses. In November 2024, Sharif ordered action against the 2024 Final Call protests of PTI.

Foreign policy

His second tenure saw Pakistan host the 2024 SCO summit, where Shehbaz held talks on regional development and cooperation with India and other SCO members.

Conflict with India

In the aftermath of the 2025 Pahalgam attack, Sharif presided over a four-day tit-for-tat conflict against India, which resulted in a ceasefire agreement. Sharif oversaw the launch of Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos in retaliation for earlier Indian strikes on alleged terrorist sites in Pakistani cities including Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, and Muridke. Following an address to the nation, Sharif declared a national holiday, ''Yaum-e-Tashakur'' (Day of Gratitude), throughout Pakistan. Sharif viewed the conflict as a strategic Pakistani victory; however, the conflict was viewed as inconclusive through independent analysis.

Public image

During his tenure as chief minister, Shehbaz developed a reputation as a diligent administrator. He initiated ambitious infrastructure projects in Punjab and was noted for his efficient governance. On 19 December 2016, Vice-Minister Zheng Xiaosong of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party coined the term Shehbaz Speed to acknowledge his contributions to expediting the progress of projects within the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Subsequently, the term has been employed to characterize the rate of advancement within the CPEC. In 2025, Shehbaz Sharif was recognized among the world's 500 most influential Muslims by '' The Muslim 500'', an annual publication by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan.

Personal life

Family

Shehbaz married Nusrat Shehbaz in 1973. They had four children: Salman, Hamza and twin daughters Javeria and Rabia.

His second marriage was to Aaliya Honey, whom he married in 1993. The couple separated after just one year.

In 2003, Shehbaz married his third wife, author and artist Tehmina Durrani.

He lives at his ancestral home in Lahore, Raiwind Palace.

Wealth

His family jointly owns Sharif Group and formerly owned Ittefaq Group, In 2013, it was noted that Shehbaz is wealthier than his elder brother Nawaz with ().

''Daily Mail'' defamation case

On 14 July 2019, the ''Daily Mail'' published a news with the headline: "Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims?" According to the report, Shehbaz Sharif stole aid funds from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) following the 2005 earthquake. It was written by ''Daily Mail'' journalist David Rose. Investigations have shown that the UK donated more than £500 million to the earthquake victims in Pakistan through the DFID, a UK government organisation.

David Rose claimed that former chief minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif used the aid funds to send one million pounds through money laundering to his frontman Aftab Mehmood, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, who then gave the money to Shahbaz Sharif's family. Shehbaz Sharif and his family allegedly stole British citizens' tax relief funds, according to news reports. The Daily Mail also made reference to a number of Shehbaz Sharif's British government officials. Salman Shahbaz the son of Shehbaz Sharif later refuted this information.

A DFID representative referred to the reports as "baseless" and "fabricated" on the organization's website, and in January 2020, Shahbaz Sharif filed a claim for damages against the ''Daily Mail'' and its reporter David Rose in the Royal Court of Justice in London.

According to court documents, ''Daily Mail'' took almost three years to submit a defence of Rose's story. On 20 April 2020, Justice Nicklin issued the initial order for the listing hearing window running from 21 April 2020 to 31 July 2020. On 7 May 2020, Justice Nicklin issued a second ruling that extended the due dates. On 20 October 2020, Justice Nicklin issued the first order, merging the claims of Shehbaz and his son-in-law Yousaf. On 28 January 2021, Justice Nicklin issued another order pertaining to the preliminary issue trial. The verdict and order were delivered on 5 February 2021. Justice Nicklin ruled at the meaning hearing at the London High Court in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz and his son-in-law. Justice Nicklin determined that the Mail on Sunday's article carried the highest level of defamatory meaning for both Shehbaz and Yousaf.

On 18 February 2021, Justice Nicklin issued the directive with relation to certain deadlines. On 15 March 2022, the ''Daily Mail'' filed its defence. On 17 March 2022, Master Thornett issued the directive to file the defence. On 23 June and 20 September 2022, he then issued the orders to extend the deadline for filing the defence. Following negotiations to resolve the dispute after March 2022 between ''Daily Mail'' and PM Shehbaz, it was made apparent to the premier's legal counsel that the publication would issue an apology and take down the item under his conditions. On 26 September 2022, Justice Nicklin issued an order and scheduled a joint case management meeting for 9 November. Three days prior to this hearing, Shahbaz pulled his request for a delay in favor of a full trial in a shrewd political move. According to the regulations, the court was not informed that the lawyers for ''Daily Mail'' had been secretly negotiating with Shahbaz's lawyers for several months, proposing to apologise. Shahbaz Sharif was persuaded by his legal staff that there was no use in submitting more paperwork as the paper had already agreed to apologise and remove the defamatory and misleading piece.

''Daily Mail'' publishers and Shehbaz's lawyers signed an agreement of settlement with Tomlin Order in the second week of December 2022, after which ''Daily Mail'' removed the defamatory article and apologized to the prime minister and his son-in-law. The ANL promised that it will never propagate these false allegations at any forum, it has also worked with Google to remove all articles carrying ''Daily Mail's'' previous allegations.

Toshakhana records

On 12 March 2023, the Government of Pakistan released a record of Toshakhana gifts retained by government officials from 2003 to 2023, 90 gifts were retained by Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif from Toshakhana.

Books

* ''Azm O Himmat Kī Dāstān'' (عزم و همت كى داستان; "A Tale of Resolve and Courage"), Lāhore: Sharīf Publīcations, 2000, 72 pp. History and struggle of business endeavours of the Sharif family.

See also

* List of international prime ministerial trips made by Shehbaz Sharif
* Sharif family

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharif, Shehbaz

1951 births
Chief ministers of Punjab, Pakistan
Government College University, Lahore alumni
Leaders of the opposition (Pakistan)
Leaders of the opposition in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab
Living people
Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs
Pakistan Muslim League (N) MPAs (Punjab)
Pakistani exiles
Pakistani expatriates in Saudi Arabia
Pakistani expatriates in the United Kingdom
Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993
Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023
Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029
Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent
Pakistani Sunni Muslims
People from Lahore
Politicians from Lahore
Presidents of the Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Prime ministers of Pakistan
Punjab MPAs 1988–1990
Punjab MPAs 1993–1996
Punjab MPAs 1997–1999
Punjab MPAs 2008–2013
Punjab MPAs 2013–2018
Shehbaz
St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni