Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was born on 25 December 1949, and he is 72 years old. He is a prominent politician and Pakistani businessman and has been Prime Minister of Pakistan three times. He is the only Prime Minister who has served Pakistan for 9 years and leading one of the most prominent political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League N (PMLN).

Political Background

Nawaz Sharif was born in Lahore. He belongs to an upper-middle-class Sharif family. His father’s name is Mohammad Sharif, and his younger brothers’ names are Abbas Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. Nawaz Sharif’s father was the founder of Ittefaq and Sharif Group.

His younger brother Shahbaz Sharif is the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan and has served as Chief Minister of Punjab 4 times. At the same time, Nawaz Sharif’s nephew Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is currently serving as Chief Minister of Punjab.

Moreover, his wife’s name was Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif. He has 2 daughters and 2 sons. Asma Nawaz and Marium Nawaz Sharif. are his daughters and his sons’ are Hassan and Hussain Nawaz.

Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz is married to Safdar Awan, who also has a political background. Maryam is also becoming a prominent politician as she is actively taking part in politics and supporting his father. Nawaz Sharif’s other daughter Asma Nawaz is married to Ali Dar, the son of Ishaq Dar.

Nawaz Sharif’s eldest son Hussain Nawaz lives in Jeddah house, Saudia Arabia, and is a well-known businessman there. His other son, Hassan Nawaz, is also a businessman and currently residing in London.

Moreover, Nawaz Sharif’s permanent residence Raiwand Palace is located in Jati Umra Raiwind, near Lahore. He also has a residence in Saudi Arabia known as Sharif Villa, where he spent his exiled years.

Educational Background

Nawaz Sharif took his initial education from Saint Anthony High School. In mid-1980, he took his L.L.B. degree from the University of Punjab and studied business and arts at Government College University in Lahore.

Political Career

After completing his education, Nawaz Sharif joined the Ittihad group, industry interested in steel, sugar, and textiles. Meanwhile, he started his political career in 1976 with Pakistan Muslim League(P.M.L.). Later in 1981, he served Punjab as Finance Minister for the province, appointed by President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq.

Soon in 1985, Nawaz Sharif was elected as Punjab Chief Minister and got reelected in 1988 at the end of the Zia-ul-Haq Government. In 1989 he became the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan after the success of the Islamic Democratic Alliance. He became the leader of his faction of the party known as Pakistan Muslim League N (PMLN) in 1993.

Nawaz Sharif’s government got expelled after dissolving the National Assembly by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1993. Benazir Bhutto’s government came into power, and he became the leader of the opposition to the government from 1993 to 1996.

He was re-elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1997, but his government got expelled with martial law in 1999. Due to conflicts with General Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, resulting in exile and imprisonment for Nawaz Sharif.

However, he again returned to politics in 2011. He led his party to victory in the elections of 2013 and again became Prime Minister of Pakistan. His party Pakistan Muslim League N, is the only party in the history of Pakistan that has completed the tenure of 5 years of government in Pakistan.

After the release of the Panama Papers in 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified Nawaz Sharif and was ousted from the prime ministership. He got disqualified from holding any public office and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by the National Accountability Bureau (N.A.B.). But due to his medical condition, he left for London on expired bail.

Panama Papers Scandal

In 2016 Panama Papers revealed that Nawaz Sharif has millions of dollars of properties and numerous offshore companies in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. Panama Papers were released by a Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. These properties do not directly belong to Nawaz Sharif or Shahbaz Sharif, but they have linked those properties to their in-laws and children.

 

The government announced an investigation of revelations of the Panama Papers on 15 April 2016. On 28 July 2017, Nawaz Sharif got disqualified from holding any public offices in Pakistan as he could not provide a proper money trail of the properties.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court ordered the National Accountability Bureau (N.A.B.) to create references against Nawaz and his family on corruption charges.

After the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif on 6 July 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years of prison and was fined £2 million by the Federal Judicial Complex of Pakistan. Her daughter Maryam Nawaz was sentenced to 7 years of prison with him and was fined £8 million. Moreover, Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Safdar Awan was sentenced to 1-year imprisonment. They both got arrested on their arrival in Lahore, and on 13 July, they were imprisoned in Adiala Jail.

After imprisonment, the Nawaz Sharif’s medical condition got worse. According to reports, he faced 4 angina attacks, and his family started complaining that Imran Khan’s government wasn’t giving time to Nawaz Sharif’s medical treatment.

In October 2016, the Islamabad High Court (I.H.C.) granted bail for six weeks to Nawaz Sharif on humanitarian grounds in March, after which he went to London for his medical treatment. After his bail got expired, he didn’t come back from London. The Islamabad High Court declared him an escapee, and he has nonbailable arrest warrants for corruption charges in Al-Azizia.

Nuclear Policy

During his prime ministership, he made the country’s Nuclear Policy the top priority for him. The Pakistani Nuclear Program was started in January 1972 under the supervision of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Nawaz Sharif resumed the atomic program and focused on expanding the energy programs of Pakistan. Also, in 1993, to promote his nuclear energy program, he established the Institute of Nuclear Engineering (I.N.E.).

 

Final Thoughts

 

Currently, Nawaz Sharif is in London, and it is expected that soon he will return and face his case. He is also expected to resume his political career before the General Elections of 2023. The people of Pakistan hope to see a change after his rejoining in politics.