Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif[a] (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the 20thprime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously served as the Prime Minister from April 2022 to August 2023. He has also served as the president of thePakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N). Previously, he served as theChief Minister of Punjab three times, making him the longest-servingChief Minister of Punjab.
Shehbaz was elected to theProvincial Assembly of the Punjab in 1988 and to theNational Assembly of Pakistan in 1990. He was again elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1993 and namedleader 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 the1999 Pakistani coup d'état, Shehbaz along with his family spent years ofself-exile inSaudi 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 the2008 Pakistani general election. He was elected as chief minister of Punjab for the third time in the2013 general election and served his term until his party's defeat in the2018 general election. During his tenure as chief minister, Shehbaz undertook development initiatives including transport inLahore. 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 thePanama Papers case. He was nominated as the leader of the opposition after the 2018 election.
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-124 (Lahore-IX) as a candidate of IJI in1990 general election. He received 26,408 votes and defeated a candidate ofPakistan Democratic Alliance (PDA).[12] In the same election, he was elected to theNational Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of IJI. He secured 54,506 votes and defeatedJehangir Bader.[10][15]He vacated the Provincial Punjab Assembly seat to retain his National Assembly seat.[13] His term prematurely ended in 1993[9] when the assemblies were dissolved.[14]
He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate ofPakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) in1993 general election.[13] He received 28,068 votes and defeated a candidate of PPP.[12] 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 defeatedYousuf Salahuddin.[15] He vacated the National Assembly seat and retained his Provincial Punjab Assembly seat.[10] Shortly after the election, he was elected Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab.[16] 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.[16][17] His term as Member of the Punjab Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition prematurely ended in November 1996[9] when the assemblies were dissolved.[10][14]
Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of PML-N in1997 general election.[13] He received 25,013 votes and defeated a candidate of PPP.[12] 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 defeatedHanif Ramay.[15] He was elected as theChief Minister of Punjab for the first time and was sworn in as 13th Chief Minister of Punjab on 20 February 1997.[3][16]
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.[6][16] He undertook several development projects in Lahore and launched a crackdown on criminals across the province to maintain law and order in the province.[16]
While in exile in Saudi Arabia, Shehbaz was elected as the President of PML-N in August 2002[10][16] and moved to the United Kingdom in mid-2003 for medical treatment.[18]
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.[19] In the encounter, his two sons and three other people were killed by the police.[20][21]
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.[22][23] In 2004, Shehbaz attempted to return to Pakistan to appear before the court, but was forcibly deported back to Saudi Arabia.[16][23]
In August 2007, theSupreme Court of Pakistan gave its verdict which allowed Sharif brothers to return to Pakistan.[24] In September 2007, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan ordered police to arrest Shehbaz based on a 2003 arrest warrant.[23][25] He later got bail from anti-terrorism court.[26] Shehbaz denied ordering the alleged killings and said the charges against him were politically motivated.[23] 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.[27] In 2008, he was acquitted by the Anti-Terrorism Court in theSabzazar case.[20]
Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected as the president of PML-N for a second term in August 2006[10][16] and returned to Pakistan along with Nawaz Sharif in November 2007.[16]
Shehbaz was ineligible to take part in the2008 general election due to Sabzazar case, but a few months later he was acquitted by the court.[28][20]
Second and third term as chief minister (2008–2018)
Shehbaz was re-elected to theProvincial Assembly of Punjab unopposed from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II) as a candidate of PML-N in the by-election held in June 2008.[29][30] Subsequently, he was elected unopposed as the Chief Minister of Punjab, receiving 265 votes unopposed after securing 265 votes.[10][13] 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 fromConstituency 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.[31][32]
His second term as chief minister was interrupted on 25 February 2009 when theSupreme 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.[33] On 1 April 2009, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court overturned the earlier decision, reinstating Shehbaz as chief minister.[34]
Shehbaz on 11 July 2017Shehbaz with Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan on 16 September 2017
In2013 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 fromConstituency NA-129 (Lahore-XII).[35] 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.[36][37]
In 2016, Shehbaz was elected unopposed as the president of Punjab chapter of PML-N in intra-party elections.[38]
On 29 July 2017, following the disqualification of outgoing Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif after thePanama Papers case decision, Shehbaz was named leader of the PML-N and their candidate for the office of prime minister.[39][40][41] However, he was not a member of the National Assembly, soShahid 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.[42] Later, Shehbaz decided to complete his tenure as thechief minister of Punjab until the next general election.[43][44]
In December 2017, Shehbaz was named as the candidate of PML-N for the office of prime minister in the 2018 general election.[45][46]
In February 2018, Shehbaz was appointed the interim president of the PML-N.[47][48] In March 2018, he was elected unopposed as the president of PML-N.[49] It was reported thatthe establishment had previously offered Shehbaz the position of prime minister of Pakistan on several occasions, which he did not accept.[50]
Shehbaz Sharif was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-132 (Lahore-X)in2018 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).[51] Following his successful election, he abandoned his Punjab seats in favour of the National assembly seat.[52]
On 16 August 2018, he was nominated by PML-N for the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan.[53] The following day, he secured 96 votes, losing toImran Khan.[54] Later, he was nominated for the office ofLeader of the Opposition in the National Assembly by 111 members of the National Assembly.[55] 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 byRana Tanveer HussainRana Tanveer Hussain.
In September 2020, theNational 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.[56] 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.[57]
Following his arrest, Sharif was held in custody during the investigation.[58] In November 2020, he was temporarily released on parole to attend his mother's funeral prayers.[59] On 14 April 2021, he was granted bail by theLahore High Court in the money laundering case.[60] 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.[61] After the verdict, Sharif’s lawyer Amjad Pervez described the case as "totally baseless and politically motivated."[61]
He was elected prime minister on 11 April 2022.[64][65] He took the oath of office on the same day, administered by the Chairman of the Senate,Sadiq Sanjrani, acting for PresidentArif Alvi, who was on medical leave after complaining of "discomfort".[66] As thePakistan Democratic Movement's government faced theworst economic crisis in Pakistan since its independence, the Sharif-led administration hoped for a relief deal with theIMF and improvedrelations with the United States,[67][68] but received only a limited response.[69] Chinese foreign ministerQin Gang has expressed clear concerns about Pakistan's internal instability,[70] despite China providing economic support for its longtime ally.[71]
His second tenure saw Pakistan host the2024 SCO summit, where Shehbaz held talks on regional development and cooperation withIndia and otherSCO members.[76] He also attempted to ban thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the largest political party in Pakistan.[77][78] His government saw the initiation ofOperation Azm-e-Istehkam and attempted to pass newconstitutional amendments making changes to theJudiciary 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.[79]
Protests have continued to proliferate in Pakistan, as economic conditions and political pressures continue. IMF conditions led to increases intax rates, whilepurchasing power declined in tandem with stagnantwage growth, outpaced byinflation.[80][81]
Shehbaz with Iranian Supreme Leader on 22 May 2024
Shehbaz's government continued the unofficial ban on social media platformTwitter (X) imposed by theKakar caretaker government,[82][83] and installed an internetfirewall. The internet firewall was created by the government in order to block content it deemspropaganda. The firewall was widely criticized forcensorship. Furthermore, the internet firewall project was estimated to cost $300 Million. The firewall resulted in the internet worsening in Pakistan and negatively affecting businesses.[84][85] In November 2024, Sharif ordered action against the2024 Final Call protests of PTI.[86]
During his tenure as chief minister, Shehbaz developed a reputation as a diligent administrator.[87][88] He initiated ambitious infrastructure projects in Punjab and was noted for his efficient governance.[89][90][91] On 19 December 2016, Vice-MinisterZheng Xiaosong of theInternational Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party coined the term Shehbaz Speed to acknowledge his contributions to expediting the progress of projects within theChina–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Subsequently, the term has been employed to characterize the rate of advancement within the CPEC.[92][93][94][95][96]
His family jointly ownsSharif Group and formerly ownedIttefaq Group,[10][100] In 2013, it was noted that Shehbaz is wealthier than his elder brother Nawaz withRs. 336,900,000 (US$1.2 million).[101]
On 14 July 2019, theDaily 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'sDepartment for International Development (DFID) following the2005 earthquake. It was written byDaily Mail journalistDavid Rose. Investigations have shown that the UK donated more than £500 million to the earthquake victims in Pakistan through the DFID, aUK government organisation.[102][103]
David Rose claimed that formerchief 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.[104]
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 theDaily Mail and its reporterDavid Rose in theRoyal Court of Justice inLondon.[105]
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.[106] The verdict and order were delivered on 5 February 2021. Justice Nicklin ruled at the meaning hearing at theLondon High Court in favour ofPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz and his son-in-law. Justice Nicklin determined that theMail 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, theDaily 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 betweenDaily 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.[106] 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 forDaily 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.[106]
Daily Mail publishers and Shehbaz's lawyers signed an agreement of settlement with Tomlin Order in the second week of December 2022, after whichDaily 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 withGoogle to remove all articles carryingDaily Mail's previous allegations.[107][106][108]
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 theSharif family.[112]
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