Mian Muhammad Sharif (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

, ur, ;18 November 1919 – 19 October 2004) was a Pakistani businessman who is known as the co-founder of Ittefaq Group and founder of

Sharif Group The Sharif Group of Companies is a Pakistani agricultural conglomerate company based in Lahore, Pakistan. It was established in 1974 by Pakistani businessman Mian Muhammad Sharif. The Sharif Group assets are valued at US $300 million approximatel ...

. Two of his three sons, Nawaz and Shehbaz became Prime Ministers of Pakistan.

Early life and family

Sharif was born in 1919 to Mian Mohammad Baksh, into a Butt trader family in

Jati Umra (Amritsar) Jati Umra is a small village in the Tarn Taran district (formerly Amritsar district) of Punjab, India. Pakistan's well-known businessman Muhammad Sharif belonged to Jati Umrah. He left his everything in India and moved to Pakistan in 1947. th ...

to ancestors who migrated from Anantnag in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. He was one among seven brothers. According to credible sources, he did his schooling in eastern Punjab, then he moved to Lahore for his college education, he studied in DAV College, Lahore. In 1936, the family relocated to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

for better economic opportunities. Sharif used to work as a laborer in a steel factory in

, owned by a Hindu businessman. He later attributed most of his success and learnings to the caring and generosity of said businessman. In 1939, Sharif founded a small steel foundry with borrowed money. His business was among the largest businesses in

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, only after BECO Engineering. Shehbaz Sharif also admitted that they were not the richest family and his father was a poor farmer from India, and he started their family business from the scratch. He was married to Shamim Akhtar, with whom he had three sons. All his children became politicians,

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

Shehbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president o ...

and Abbas Sharif. He developed a welfare project, Sharif Medical City, in

Raiwind Raiwind (Punjabi & ur, ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annua ...

, Allama Iqbal Town,

Death

In 2000, Sharif's family was exiled to Saudi Arabia by then Chief of Army Staff

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

. He died of a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

in Jeddah, in 19 October 2004, at the age of 84. Sharif was suffering from chronic heart disease and underwent

angioplasty Angioplasty, is also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries or veins, typically to treat arterial atherosclero ...

twice. In 1982, he had his first heart bypass. His funeral took place in

Masjid al-Haram , native_name_lang = ar , religious_affiliation = Islam , image = Al-Haram mosque - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg , image_upright = 1.25 , caption = Aerial view of the Great Mosque of Mecca , ma ...

on 30 October 2004. He is buried in

, Allama Iqbal Town,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharif, Muhammad 1919 births 2004 deaths Pakistani Muslims People from Amritsar district People from Punjab, Pakistan People from Raiwind Sharif family Tablighi Jamaat people