Mian Muhammad Sharif ( Punjabi, ur, ;18 November 1919 – 19 October 2004) was a Pakistani businessman who is known as the co-founder of

Ittefaq Group The Ittefaq Group (English ''The Unity Group'') was a Pakistani integrated steel producer with minor operations in Punjab. It was sold to Al-Rehmat Group of Companies in 2004. History It was founded by seven brothers in 1972 as a small foundry. ...

and founder of Sharif Group. Two of his three sons,

Nawaz Nawaz may refer to: Given name * Nawaz Haq, Pakistani track and field athlete * Nawaz Sharif, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan * Muhammad Nawaz, gold medalist, physician * Mohammad Nawaz (cricketer), Pakistani cricketer * Mohammad Nawaz (footba ...

and Shehbaz became Prime Ministers of Pakistan.

Early life and family

Sharif was born in 1919 to Mian Mohammad Baksh, into a Butt trader family in

Jati Umra (Amritsar) Jati Umra is a small village in the Tarn Taran district (formerly Amritsar district) of Punjab, India. Pakistan's well-known businessman Muhammad Sharif belonged to Jati Umrah. He left his everything in India and moved to Pakistan in 1947. the ...

to ancestors who migrated from

Anantnag Anantnag (/ə'nʌntna:g/ or /-nɑːg/ ), also called Islamabad, is the administrative headquarters of the Anantnag district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of 53 kilometres (33 miles) from the u ...

in Jammu and Kashmir. He was one among seven brothers. According to credible sources, he did his schooling in eastern Punjab, then he moved to Lahore for his college education, he studied in DAV College, Lahore. In 1936, the family relocated to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

for better economic opportunities. Sharif used to work as a laborer in a steel factory in

, owned by a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

businessman. He later attributed most of his success and learnings to the caring and generosity of said businessman. In 1939, Sharif founded a small steel foundry with borrowed money. His business was among the largest businesses in

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, only after BECO Engineering. Shehbaz Sharif also admitted that they were not the richest family and his father was a poor farmer from India, and he started their family business from the scratch. He was married to Shamim Akhtar, with whom he had three sons. All his children became politicians,

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

Shehbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of ...

and

Abbas Sharif Mian Abbas Sharif (4 January 1953 – 11 January 2013) was a Pakistani politician and Tablighi Jamaat missionary who was the Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 1993 to 1997. He was the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz ...

. He developed a welfare project, Sharif Medical City, in

Raiwind Raiwind ( Punjabi & ur, ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annua ...

Allama Iqbal Town Allama Iqbal Town ( ur, ) (also known as Iqbal Town or abbreviated as AIT) is a commercial and a residential locality in the south-western Lahore. It is named after Allama Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan. Development was started in the l ...

Death

In 2000, Sharif's family was exiled to Saudi Arabia by then Chief of Army Staff

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

. He died of a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

, in 19 October 2004, at the age of 84. Sharif was suffering from chronic heart disease and underwent

angioplasty Angioplasty, is also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries or veins, typically to treat arterial atheroscle ...

twice. In 1982, he had his first

heart bypass Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...

. His funeral took place in Masjid al-Haram on 30 October 2004. He is buried in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharif, Muhammad 1919 births 2004 deaths Pakistani Muslims People from Amritsar district People from Punjab, Pakistan People from Raiwind Sharif family Tablighi Jamaat people