Shehbaz Sharif facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shehbaz Sharif
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شہباز شریف
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Sharif in 2024
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| 20th Prime Minister of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 4 March 2024 |
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| President | Arif Alvi Asif Ali Zardari |
| Deputy | Ishaq Dar |
| Preceded by | Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan) |
| In office 11 April 2022 – 13 August 2023 |
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| President | Arif Alvi |
| Preceded by | Imran Khan |
| Succeeded by | Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan) |
| Leader of the Opposition (Pakistan) | |
| In office 20 August 2018 – 10 April 2022 |
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| President | |
| Prime Minister | Imran Khan |
| Preceded by | Khurshid Shah |
| Succeeded by | Raja Riaz |
| Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 29 February 2024 |
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| In office 13 August 2018 – 10 August 2023 |
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| In office 1990–1993 |
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| 13th and 16th Chief Minister of Punjab | |
| In office 7 June 2013 – 7 June 2018 |
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| Governor |
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| Preceded by | Najam Sethi (caretaker) |
| Succeeded by | Hasan Askari Rizvi (caretaker) |
| In office 30 March 2009 – 26 March 2013 |
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| Governor |
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| Preceded by | Governor's rule |
| Succeeded by | Najam Sethi (caretaker) |
| In office 8 June 2008 – 25 February 2009 |
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| Governor |
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| Preceded by | Dost Muhammad Khosa |
| Succeeded by | Governor's rule |
| In office 20 February 1997 – 12 October 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Mian Muhammad Afzal Hayat (caretaker) |
| Succeeded by | Parvez Elahi |
| President of PMLN | |
| In office 13 March 2018 – 13 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Nawaz Sharif |
| Succeeded by | Nawaz Sharif |
| In office 2009–2011 |
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| Preceded by | Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan |
| Succeeded by | Nawaz Sharif |
| Provincial Leader of the Opposition of Punjab | |
| In office 1993–1996 |
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| Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab | |
| In office 1993–2018 |
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| In office 1988–1990 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
23 September 1951 Lahore, West Punjab, Dominion of Pakistan |
| Political party | PMLN (1993-present) |
| Spouses |
Begum Nusrat
(m. 1973)Aaliya Honey
(m. 1993; div. 1994)Tehmina Durrani
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 4, including Hamza Shahbaz |
| Parents | Mian Muhammad Sharif Begum Shamim Akhtar |
| Relatives | Sharif family |
| Education | Government College University, Lahore (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu: میاں محمد شہباز شریف born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously served in the post from April 2022 to August 2023. He is the president of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N). Previously in his political career, he served as the Chief Minister of Punjab three times, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of Punjab.
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 enjoyed a reputation as a highly competent and diligent administrator. He initiated ambitious infrastructure projects in Punjab and was noted for his efficient governance. 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.
In December 2019, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) froze 23 properties belonging to Shehbaz and his son, Hamza Sharif, accusing them of money laundering. On 28 September 2020, the NAB arrested Shehbaz at Lahore High Court and indicted him on charges of money laundering. He was incarcerated pending trial. On 14 April 2021, Lahore High Court released him on bail in money laundering reference. 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. Amid the 2022 Pakistani political crises, he was elected by the National Assembly as Prime Minister on 11 April 2022 after the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan. On 12 August 2023, the parliament was set to expire due to the completion of the five-year tenure. In order to gain more time for elections and other political gains, Sharif and the PDM alliance agreed to dissolve the parliament on 9 August 2023, which was approved by the president of Pakistan.
Contents
Family and personal life
Early life and education
Shehbaz was born on 23 September 1951 into a Punjabi-speaking Kashmiri family in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. 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 attended St. Anthony High School, Lahore.
Shehbaz received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Government College University, Lahore. After graduation, he joined his family-owned Ittefaq Group. He was elected president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 1985.
Family
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He has two brothers, Abbas Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz is a three-time elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. His sister-in-law, Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif, was the First Lady of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms.
Shehbaz married Nusrat Shehbaz in 1973. They had four children: Salman, Hamza and twin sisters, 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 Tehmina Durrani. He lives at his ancestral home in Lahore, Raiwind Palace.
Wealth
Shehbaz jointly owns Ittefaq Group, a multimillion-dollar steel conglomerate. In 2013, it was noted that Shehbaz is wealthier than his elder brother Nawaz with ₨ 336,900,000 (US$2.1 million).
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 Peoples 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 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 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.
Chief minister of Punjab
First term as Chief Minister of Punjab
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of PML-N in 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.
Second term as Chief Minister of Punjab
He 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 re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab unopposed from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II) as a candidate of PML-N in by-polls held in June 2008. He was re-elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab unopposed after securing 265 votes.
In June 2008 he contested for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-10 (Rawalpindi-X), while holding the Assembly seat from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II). He was elected unopposed but later he resigned from this seat after controversy developed over his eligibility to hold office of Chief Ministership.
His second term as Chief Minister lasted until 25 February 2009, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared him ineligible to hold public office which took away his seat in the Punjab Assembly, and thereby removed him from office as Chief Minister. On 1 April 2009, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision of the apex court, in which Shehbaz was disqualified from holding public office. As a result, Shehbaz returned to office as Chief Minister.
Third term as Chief Minister of Punjab
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 candidate of PML-N in 2013 general election. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-129 (Lahore-XII) as candidate of PML-N. Sharif opted to retain his Provincial Assembly seat PP-159 (Lahore-XXIII) and was re-elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab for the third time unopposed after securing 300 votes in the 371-members 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, Shehbaz was named leader of the PML-N, and hence Prime Minister-designate of Pakistan, following the disqualification of outgoing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after the Panama Papers case decision. However, Shehbaz could not be sworn in immediately because he was not a member of the National Assembly. As a result, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was made interim Prime Minister of Pakistan for 45 days, presumably giving Shehbaz enough time to enter the legislature via a by-election. After Abbasi's election as Prime Minister of Pakistan, however, it was reported that he was likely to continue as Prime Minister for the next ten months until the 2018 general election due to the reluctance of Shehbaz Sharif to leave the post of Chief Minister of Punjab. Though he was not made the leader of PML-N over differences.
Reportedly, Shehbaz was offered to become Prime Minister of Pakistan by the establishment several times previously but never accepted.
In December 2017, during a party meeting between the senior members of PML-N, Nawaz named Shehbaz as candidate of the party for the office of Prime Minister in the upcoming June 2018 general election, saying that "Shahbaz had never disappointed him or the party, and had risen to prominence because of his hard work and performance."
On 27 February 2018, Shehbaz was appointed as the interim President of the PML-N. On 13 March, he was elected as the President of the PML-N unopposed.
On 7 June 2018, Shehbaz was succeeded by Hasan Askari Rizvi as caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab.
Leader of the Opposition
He was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-132 (Lahore-X) in 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, he was nominated by PML-N for the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan. On 17 August 2018, he received 96 votes and lost the office to Imran Khan. The same day, 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. In his capacity as Leader of Opposition, he also served as MTI3 Chairman Public Accounts Committee from 22 December 2018 till 28 November 2019. He resigned from the post and Rana Tanveer Hussain succeeded him.
Prime Minister of Pakistan
First term as Prime Minister
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On 10 April 2022, Sharif was nominated as candidate for Prime Minister by opposition parties following a vote of no confidence in incumbent Prime Minister 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.
At a press conference on 13 February 2024, the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari and Sharif announced that their parties had agreed to form a coalition government following the 2024 Pakistani general election. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Shehbaz Sharif was the prime ministerial nominee following his elder brother Nawaz's recommendation. PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he would endorse a PML-N nominee for prime minister and that the PPP would not join the next cabinet. A senior PPP leader was quoted as saying that the party preferred to have a minimal role in the coalition government saying that "We don’t want to take that heavy responsibility.” Analysts suggest that this arrangement seemed to enjoy the backing of the military.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan, the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and the Balochistan Awami Party also expressed their intent to join the PLM-N and PPP coalition, which enables them to hold a total of 152 directly-elected seats in the National Assembly, which is expected to be augmented by gains in reserved seats. In response, Imran Khan called the upcoming coalition a "daylight robbery" and warned "against the misadventure of forming a government with stolen votes." Observers noted that the increased support for the PTI had changed the power dynamics, making a Sharif-led government seem weak even before it began.
Second term as Prime Minister (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.
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. He also 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.
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.
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.
Awards and honors
- Shehbaz Speed
See also
In Spanish: Shehbaz Sharif para niños
- Sharif family
- List of international prime ministerial trips made by Shehbaz Sharif
