Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, commonly known as Shahbaz Sharif (Punjabi, Urdu: میاں محمد شہاز شریف), is a well known Pakistani politician and President of Pakistan Muslim League (N). He is the brother of Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He has been the Chief Minister of Punjab Province, the most populous province of Pakistan, since March 2009; previously he was Chief Minister from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2008 to 2009.
Early Life
Shahbaz Shareef belongs to the family of Kashmiris who had settled in Amritsar a generations back. At independence his Mian Muhammad Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif's migrated to Pakistan settling in Lahore. At Amritsar the entire extended family was somehow involved in the profession of wrestling. Mian Muhammad Sharfi who had been an outcast in his family, ventured into business and started a small junkyard which ultimately grew into a small steel refinery. Both his sons, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif received their early education at Lahore. After his education Shahbaz Sharif married his first cousin, Nusrat Shahbaz.
Early Career
Shahbaz's father, Mian Muhammad Sharif involved him in the family business right after his education. While Mian Muhammad Sharif worked towards getting his younger son, Nawaz Sharif into politics, as he considered him too dumb for business, he wanted Shahbaz to stay out of politics and pay full attention to business. Because of Mian Mohammad's efforts, Nawaz Sharif was made Chief Minister of Punjab Province under Gen Zia ul Haq and Shahbaz Sharif started using Nawaz's clout for expanding family's business empire. It was, however, under Nawaz Sharif's first tenure as Prime Minister that the family's fortunes really shone. During Nawaz's first premiership Shahbaz Sharif heavily invested the kickbacks, loans from Government Banks and drugs money into industry and by the end of Nawaz's government the family had become dollar mult-billionaires.
When Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister second time, Shahbaz Sharif decided to jump into politics.
First term Chief Minister of Punjab
As Chief minister of Punjab he also received criticism as he had and took advantage of illegitimate power chief minister of Punjab because his brother was Prime Minister of Pakistan and made their party up a record majority of the parliament. He was ousted in the 1999 military coup, which brought Pervez Musharraf to power. He had been a famous chief minster all over the Punjab Province.
Exile
Shahbaz Sharif lived in exile in London with his brother, the exiled former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif after coming from Saudi Arabia. He once tried coming back to Pakistan following a High Court decision that he was free to come back whenever he wanted. On May 11, 2004 his plane landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore but he was arrested and again deported to Saudi Arabia within a few hours.
Hair Transplant
In 2003 Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif went through hair transplants1 in order to look younger and attractive. Soon after, Shahbaz left his wife for a newer one.
President of Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Mian Shahbaz Sharif was elected President of PML (N) on 3 August 2002 while in exile in Saudi Arabia. He was re-elected President of PML(N) for a second term on 2 August 2006.
Popular among educated, civil & armed services and the middle-class, he is thought of as a strong future candidate to become Prime Minister, of Pakistan.
Return to Pakistan
In August 2007, Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its verdict which allowed Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif to return back to Pakistan.
On September 7, 2007, judge Shabbir Hussain Chatha ordered police to arrest Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Nawaz Sharif and produce him before the court, after the hearing in Lahore. The court ruled that "Shahbaz Sharif should be arrested (at) whichever airport he lands at." Nawaz Sharif too faces detention on the pair's planned return from exile to Pakistan on September 10, 2007, to challenge President Pervez Musharraf's 8-year military rule.
His brother Mian Shahbaz Sharif changed return plans at the last minute.
Sharif was not allowed to participate in the 2008 elections because of allegations against him. His son Hamza Sharif was supposed to run from a NA seat in Lahore but due to the death of a candidate the elections were postponed.
Second term as Chief Minister
On 8 June 2008, Shahbaz Sharif was elected as Chief Minister of Punjab, receiving 265 votes from the members of the 371-seat provincial assembly. He was the only candidate, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q boycotted the vote. Speaking after his election, he called on Pervez Musharraf to resign. He won a vote of confidence on 9 June, receiving 266 votes.
Mian Shahbaz Sharif after becoming Chief Minister of Punjab was welcomed by the public and media who were keen to see how he pursues his unfinished agenda of public welfare and reforms in education sector.
His second term as Chief Minister lasted until 25 February 2009, when a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, headed by Justice Moosa K. Leghari, declared him ineligible to contest elections, took away his seat in the Punjab Assembly, and thereby removed him from office. On 31 March 2009, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court granted stay order on an earlier decision of the apex court, in which Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were disqualified from holding public office. As a result, Shahbaz Sharif returned to office as Chief Minister. He is fighting against corruption in the society in general and government functionaries in particular. He seems to have vision; a mega plan to transform Lahore into a true High-Tech City in Pakistan as well as an important high tech center in the entire world.
Family
Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s first marriage with his cousin Nusrat Shahbaz (نصرت شہباز) in 1973 with the approval of his father, the late Mian Muhammad Sharif. They have two sons, Hamza Sharif and Salman Sharif and three daughters. Shahbaz Sharif's second marriage was with Aaliya Honey (عالیہ ہنی) in 1993-94. At that time he was living in London. They have one daughter, Khadija. According to some sources, many issues and legal requirements were not met in their divorce. Shahbaz Sharif's third marriage is with Tehmina Durrani. This is the third marriage for both of them.
Children
Suleiman Sharif is his younger son.
Future
Due to the nature of family politics in Pakistan and having amassed huge wealth, Shahbaz Sharif is thought of as a strong future candidate to become Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Also See
- Fraudia List
- List of Pakistani Billionaires
- Taliban List
- Mafia List
- Sohail Zia Butt: Shahbaz Sharif's cousin and one of Pakistan's biggest drug lords
