Also Known As
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
Famous As
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Nationality
Pakistani Famous Pakistani Men
Birth Date
25th December, 1949 AD
Age
67 Years
Sun Sign
Capricorn Capricorn Men
Height
1.65 m
Born In
Lahore
Father
Mian Muhammad Sharif,
Mother
Shamim Akhtar
Siblings
Shehbaz Sharif
Spouse/Partner
Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif
Children
Maryam Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Hassan Nawaz Sharif, Asma Nawaz Sharif
Religion
Islam, Sunni Islam
Net Worth
$1.4 Billion as of 7 June 2017
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is the current Prime Minster of Pakistan; he is in office since 2013. A veteran politician, he has previously served as the Prime Minister on two other occasions as well—from 1990 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1999. Born into a well-to-do family in Lahore, he entered his family business upon his graduation. His father founded the Ittefaq Group of Industries which is today a large conglomerate dealing in steel, sugar, paper, and textiles. Already a successful industrial by the time he entered politics, he put his astute administrative sense to good use in his political career as well. He forayed into politics when the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto started implementing nationalization policies which threatened Sharif’s thriving family business. Initially his focus was only on saving his business but eventually he developed a deep interest in the country’s politics and decided to pursue a political career. He continued working on rebuilding his business along with his involvement in politics. When he first became the Prime Minister in 1990 he attempted to create an economy based on privatization and economic liberalization in order to pave the way for Pakistan’s rapid industrial development. In 1999, he was deposed from the office in a coup by the then Army Chief Pervez Musharraf and sent to exile in Saudi Arabia. However, Nawaz Sharif came nack to Pakistan in 2007 and eventually regained power in 2013.
Childhood & Early Life
- He was born on 25 December 1949 in Lahore, Pakistan. His father Muhammad Sharif was an industrialist and businessman. His parents had migrated to Lahore from Amritsar in 1947 following the partition of India. His father founded the Ittefaq Group of industries.
- He received his primary education from Saint Anthony High School after which he went to the Government College University (GCU) from where he graduated with a degree in art and business. He then enrolled at the Law College of Punjab University in Lahore and earned a law degree.
Career
- After completing his education he became involved in his family business which was performing very well. However, when the Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto implemented nationalization policies in 1972, the Sharif family’s steel business went into the hands of the government. His family was devastated at the loss of their thriving business.
- Young Nawaz was very much angered by this and decided to join politics in a bid to reclaim his lost business. He eventually re-established his business which once again became very successful.
- He joined the Pakistan Muslim League in 1976 and soon Ghulam Jilani Khan, the recently appointed Governor of the Punjab Province and a former Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), appointed him as the Finance Minister of the Punjab.
- Sharif joined the Punjab Advisory Board under General Zia-ul-Haq in 1981. As the Finance Minister he proposed development oriented budgets, and the financial plans he implemented greatly contributed to the province’s growth and development.
- In 198,5 General Ghulam Jilani Khan nominated Sharif for Chief Minister of Punjab. He easily won the 1985 elections and became Chief Minister of Punjab, and served for two consecutive terms in this position. As chief minister, he stressed welfare and development activities and thus became very popular among the masses.
- Nawaz Sharif was first elected Pakistan’s prime minister in October 1990 and assumed office on 1 November 1990. He focused on the country’s development by improving Pakistan’s infrastructure and promised to reduce government corruption.
- He always supported capitalism and thus privatized government banks and provided support for further industrialization. He implemented several policies to promote privatization and liberalization of the economy.
- Since unemployment was a major issue in the nation, he believed that rapid industrialization was the only way to create more jobs and speed up economic growth. Thus he introduced policies to accelerate the growth of industrialization, increase private savings, and focused on building infrastructure.
- His popularity was increasing, but his reputation went downhill following exposure of the co-operatives societies’ scandal because of which thousands of poor Pakistanis lost their money. He was forced to resign in 1993.
- He again contested in the 1997 parliamentary elections and won a landslide victory over the incumbent Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. This term was however more difficult for him as Pakistan was in the midst of severe economic problems including enormous foreign debt, widespread corruption, and an ongoing dispute with neighboring India.
- In 1999, Sharif was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf in a military coup and was tried on charges of hijacking and terrorism. The military court quickly convicted him in a speedy trial and gave him a life sentence. On the mediation of King Fahd of Saudia Arabia Sharif was sent on an 10 years exile to Saudi Arabia in exchange for having his jail sentence commuted.
- After deposing Nawaz Shaif General Pervez Musharraf assumed the power and became the President of Pakistan. In course of time Musharraf became unpopular when a Supreme Court decision in 2007 ruled that Sharif was free to re-enter Pakistan, he took the opportunity to return to his homeland.
- In 2013 Sharif made a spectacular political comeback and won a third term as the prime minister, and was sworn in on 7 June 2013.
Major Works
- He is credited with carrying out nuclear tests in May 1998 in response to the Indian nuclear tests, despite immense global pressure not to do it.
Personal Life & Legacy
- He is married to Kalsoom Butt who is the daughter of a famous physician, and a well educated woman herself. The couple has three children: two sons and one daughter.
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