Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pakis ...

for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pakistan, having served a total of more than 9 years across three tenures. Each term has ended in his ousting. Born into the upper-middle-class

Sharif family The Sharif family ( ur, شریف خاندان) is a political family from Pakistan, based in the city of Lahore, Punjab. They belong to the Bhat Kashmiri tribe, which is a large community living in many districts of Punjab. The family uses th ...

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 ...

, Nawaz is the son of Muhammad Sharif, the founder of Ittefaq and

Sharif Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, fr ...

groups. He is the elder brother of

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 o ...

, who also became the prime minister of Pakistan in 2022. According to the

Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan ( ur, ; ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, ...

, Nawaz is the one of the wealthiest men in Pakistan, with an estimated net worth of at least . Most of his wealth originates from his businesses in

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resist ...

construction. Before entering politics in the mid-1980s, Nawaz studied business at Government College and law at the

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan ...

. In 1981, Nawaz was appointed by President Zia as the

minister of finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

for the province of

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 ...

. Backed by a loose coalition of conservatives, Nawaz was elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab in 1985 and re-elected after the end of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...

in 1988. In

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

, Nawaz led the conservative Islamic Democratic Alliance and became the 12th prime minister of Pakistan. After being ousted in 1993, when President

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan ( ur, غلام اسحاق خان; 20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), was a Pakistani bureaucrat who served as the seventh president of Pakistan, elected in 1988 following Zia's death until his resignation in 1993. He wa ...

dissolved the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, Nawaz served as the

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

to the government of

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

from 1993 to 1996. He returned to the premiership after the

Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a centre-right and liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Part ...

(PML-N) was elected in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic'', the List of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; ...

, and served until his removal in 1999 by military takeover and was tried in a plane hijacking case which was argued by Barrister Ijaz Husain Batalvi, assisted by Khawaja Sultan senior Advocate, Sher Afghan Asdi and Akhtar Aly Kureshy Advocate. After being imprisoned and later exiled for more than a decade, he returned to politics in 2011 and led his party to victory for the third time in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. In 2017, Nawaz was removed from office by the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan ( ur, ; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance to thePart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it has ultimate ...

regarding revelations from the

Panama Papers case The Panama Papers case (officially titled ''Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi v. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif''), or the Panamagate case, was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan that disqualified incumbent Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz ...

. In 2018, the Pakistani Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz from holding public office, and he was also sentenced to ten years in prison by an accountability court. , Nawaz is in London for medical treatment on expired bail.

Early life and education

Nawaz was born in

, on 25 December 1949. The

are Kashmiris of Punjab. His father, Muhammad Sharif, was an upper-middle-class businessman and industrialist whose family had emigrated 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 Kashmir for business. They settled in the village of Jati Umra in

Amritsar district Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district. As of 2011, it is the second most populous distr ...

, Punjab, at the beginning of the twentieth century. His mother's family came from

Pulwama Pulwama (known as Panwangam in antiquity, and later as Pulgam) is a City and notified area council in the Pulwama district of the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located approximately south of the summer capital of ...

. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Nawaz's parents migrated from Amritsar to Lahore. His father followed the teachings of the

Ahl-i Hadith Ahl-i Hadith or Ahl-e-Hadith ( bn, আহলে হাদীছ, hi, एहले हदीस, ur, اہلِ حدیث, ''people of hadith'') is a Salafi reform movement that emerged in North India in the mid-nineteenth century from the teach ...

. His family owns

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. ...

, a multimillion-dollar steel conglomerate, and

Sharif Group The Sharif Group of Companies is a Pakistani agricultural conglomerate company based in Lahore, Pakistan. It was established in 1974 by Pakistani businessman Mian Muhammad Sharif. The Sharif Group assets are valued at US $300 million approximatel ...

, a conglomerate with holdings in agriculture, transport and sugar mills. He has two younger brothers:

and the late Abbas Sharif, both politicians by profession. Nawaz went to Saint Anthony High School. He graduated from the Government College University (GCU) with an

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and

business degree A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, or ...

and then received a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gr ...

from the Law College of Punjab University in

Provincial politics

Early political career

Nawaz suffered financial losses when his family's steel business was appropriated under the nationalisation policies of former prime minister

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

. Nawaz entered politics as a result, initially focused on regaining control of the steel plants. In 1976, Nawaz joined the

Pakistan Muslim League The Pakistan Muslim League ( ur, ; known as PML), is the name of several different Pakistani political parties that have dominated the right-wing platform in the country. The Muslim League (a different party) was the party of Pakistan’s ...

(PML), a conservative front rooted in the Punjab province. In May 1980, Ghulam Jilani Khan, the recently appointed military governor of Punjab and a former Director-General of the

Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI; ur, , bayn khadamatiy mukhabarati) is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant ...

(ISI), was seeking new urban leaders; he quickly promoted Nawaz, making him

finance minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

. In 1981, Nawaz joined the Punjab Advisory Council under Khan. During the 1980s, Nawaz gained influence as a supporter of General

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

military government A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an oc ...

. Zia-ul-Haq agreed to return the steel industry to Nawaz, who convinced the general to denationalise and deregulate industries to improve the economy. Within Punjab, Nawaz privatised government-owned industries and presented development-oriented budgets to the military government. These policies raised financial capital and helped increase the

standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...

and

purchasing power Purchasing power is the amount of goods and services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. For example, if one had taken one unit of currency to a store in the 1950s, it would have been possible to buy a greater number of items than would ...

in the province, which in turn improved law and order and extended Khan's rule. Punjab was the richest province and received more federal funding than the other

provinces of Pakistan The administrative units of Pakistan comprise four provinces, one federal territory, and two disputed territories: the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan; the Islamabad Capital Territory; and the administrativ ...

, contributing to economical inequality. Nawaz invested his wealth in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

and other oil-rich

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

countries to rebuild his steel empire. According to personal accounts and his time spent with Nawaz, American historian Stephen Philips Cohen states in his 2004 book ''Idea of Pakistan'': "Nawaz Sharif never forgave Bhutto after his steel empire was lost ..!--into the hands of Bhutto; and--> even after hutto's terrible end, Nawaz publicly refused to forgive the soul of Bhutto or the

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded i ...

Chief Minister of Punjab

In 1985, Khan nominated Nawaz as Chief Minister of Punjab, against the wishes of Prime Minister

Muhammad Khan Junejo Mohammad Khan Junejo (Urdu: ; Sindhi: ; 18 August 193216 March 1993) was a Pakistani politician and an agriculturist who served as the tenth prime minister of Pakistan, having elected in this capacity in 1985 until being dismissed in 1988. Junej ...

. With the backing of the army, Nawaz secured a landslide victory in the 1985 elections. Because of his popularity, he received the nickname "Lion of the Punjab". Nawaz built ties with the senior army generals who sponsored his government. He maintained an alliance with General Rahimuddin Khan,

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) ( ur, ) is, in principle, the highest-ranking and senior most uniformed military officer, typically at four-star rank, in the Pakistan Armed Forces who serves as a Principal Staff Officer and ...

. Nawaz also had close ties with Lieutenant-General (retired) Hamid Gul, the Director-General of ISI. As chief minister, Nawaz stressed welfare and development activities and the maintenance of law and order. Khan beautified Lahore, extended military infrastructure, and silenced political opposition, while Nawaz expanded economic infrastructure to benefit the army, his own business interests, and the people of Punjab. In 1988, General Zia dismissed the government of Junejo and called for new elections. However, Zia retained Nawaz as the Chief Minister of Punjab, and until his death, continued to support Nawaz.

1988 elections

After General Zia's death in August 1988, his political party – Pakistan Muslim League (Pagara Group) – split into two factions. Nawaz led the Zia-loyalist Fida Group against the Prime Minister's Junejo's

Pakistan Muslim League (J) The Pakistan Muslim League (J) (Urdu: پاکستان مسلم لیگ ج) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1988. It is one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League, named "J" after Muhammad Khan Junejo. It was created i ...

. The Fida Group later took on the mantle of the PML while the Junejo Group became known as the JIP. The two parties along with seven other right-wing conservative and religious parties united with encouragement and funding from the ISI to form the

Islami Jamhoori Ittehad The Islami Jamhoori Ittehad ( Islamic Democratic Alliance; acronym: IJI; ur, ) was a right-wing conservative alliance formed in September 1988 to oppose the democratic socialist Pakistan Peoples Party in elections that year. The alliance compri ...

(IJI). (The IJI received million from Zia loyalists in the ISI, (24 July 2009). Retrieved 5 August 2012. with a substantial role played by Nawaz's ally Gul.) The alliance was led by Nawaz and

Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Ghulam Mustafa ‘Joseph’Jatoi (Sindhi:غلام مصطفا جتوئي) ( ur, ) (14 August 1931 – 20 November 2009) was a Pakistani politician who served as the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan for three months, from 6 August 1990 to ...

and opposed

(PPP) in the elections. The IJI gained a majority in Punjab, and Nawaz was re-elected as the chief minister. In December 1989, Nawaz decided to remain in the provincial Punjab Assembly rather than hold a seat in the National Assembly. In early 1989, the PPP government attempted to unseat Nawaz through a

no-confidence motion A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or ma ...

in the Punjab Assembly, which they lost by a vote of 152 to 106.

First term as prime minister (1990–1993)

The conservatives first came to power in a democratic Pakistan under Nawaz's leadership. Nawaz Sharif became the 12th prime minister of Pakistan on 1 November 1990, succeeding Benazir Bhutto. He also became head of IJI. Sharif had a majority in the assembly and ruled with considerable confidence, having disputes with three successive army chiefs. Nawaz had campaigned on a conservative platform and vowed to reduce government corruption. Nawaz introduced an economy based on

privatisation Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

and

economic liberalisation Economic liberalization (or economic liberalisation) is the lessening of government regulations and restrictions in an economy in exchange for greater participation by private entities. In politics, the doctrine is associated with classical liber ...

to reverse the nationalisation by Zulfikar Bhutto, notably for banks and industries. He legalised foreign money exchange to be transacted through private money exchangers. His privatisation policies were continued by both Benazir Bhutto in the mid-1990s and

Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz ( ur, ; born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani former banker and financier who served as 17th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007, as well as the finance minister of Pakistan from 6 November 1999 to 15 ...

in the 2000s. He also improved the nation's infrastructure and spurred the growth of digital telecommunication.

Conservative policies

Nawaz continued the simultaneous Islamization and conservatism of Pakistan society, a policy begun by Zia. Reforms were made to introduce

fiscal conservatism Fiscal conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, and ''laissez-faire'' economics.M. O. Dickerson et al., ''A ...

supply-side economics Supply-side economics is a macroeconomic theory that postulates economic growth can be most effectively fostered by lowering taxes, decreasing regulation, and allowing free trade. According to supply-side economics, consumers will benefit f ...

, bioconservatism and

religious conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

in Pakistan. Nawaz intensified Zia's controversial

Islamization Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occurre ...

policies, and introduced Islamic laws such as the

Shariat Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

Ordinance and Bait-ul-Maal (to help poor orphans, widows, etc.) to drive the country on the model of an

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...

. Moreover, he gave tasks to the Ministry of Religion to prepare reports and recommendations for steps taken toward Islamization. He ensured the establishment of three committees: * Ittehad-e-bain-ul-Muslemeen ( en, Unity of Muslims Bloc) * Nifaz-e-Shariat Committee ( en,

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and th ...

Establishment Committee) * Islamic Welfare Committee Nawaz extended membership of

Economic Cooperation Organization The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is an Asian political and economic intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve de ...

(ECO) to all Central Asian Muslim countries, to unite them into a Muslim Bloc. Nawaz included

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

in his government platform, and established the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...

in 1997.

Conflicts

Following the imposition and passing of Resolution 660,

661 Year 661 ( DCLXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 661 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the ...

, and 665, Nawaz sided with the United Nations on the

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was an operation conducted by Iraq on 2 August 1990, whereby it invaded the neighboring State of Kuwait, consequently resulting in a seven-month-long Iraqi military occupation of the country. The invasion and Ira ...

. Nawaz's government criticised Iraq for invading the fellow Muslim country, which strained Pakistan's relationships with Iraq. This continued as Pakistan sought to strengthen its relations with Iran. This policy continued under Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf until the removal of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

in 2003. Nawaz raised the issue of Kashmir in international forums and worked toward a

peaceful transfer of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly-elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...

in Afghanistan to curb the rampant trading of illicit drugs and weapons across the border. Nawaz challenged former Chief of Army Staff General

Mirza Aslam Beg General Mirza Aslam Beg ( ur, ; born 2 August 1931), also known as M. A. Beg, was a Pakistan Army officer, who served as the 3rd Chief of Army Staff from 1988 until his retirement in 1991. His appointment as chief of army staff came when hi ...

over the

1991 Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. Under the direction of Beg, Pakistan Armed Forces participated in

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

and the Army Special Service Group and the Naval Special Service Group were deployed to

to provide security for the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

. Nawaz faced difficulty working with the PPP and the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), a potent force in Karachi. The MQM and the PPP opposed Nawaz due to his focus on beautifying Punjab and Kashmir while neglecting Sindh, and the MQM also opposed Nawaz's conservatism. Although the MQM had formed the government with Nawaz, the political tensions between liberalism and conservatism erupted into conflict by renegade factions in 1992. To end the fighting between PML-N and MQM, Nawaz's party passed a resolution to launch a paramilitary operation under command of Chief of Army Staff General Asif Nawaz Janjua. Violence erupted in Karachi in 1992 and brought the economy to a halt. During this time, Benazir Bhutto and the centre-left PPP remained neutral, but her brother

Murtaza Bhutto Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto (; 18 September 1954 – 20 September 1996) was a Pakistani politician and leader of al-Zulfiqar, a Pakistani left-wing militant organization. The son of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, he earned ...

exerted pressure which suspended the operation. The period of 1992–1994 is considered the bloodiest in the history of the city, with many people missing.

Industrialization and privatisation

Nawaz had campaigned on a conservative platform and after assuming office announced his economic policy under the National Economic Reconstruction Programme (NERP). This programme introduced an extreme level of the Western-styled capitalist economics. Unemployment had limited Pakistan's economic growth and Nawaz believed that only privatisation could solve this problem. Nawaz introduced an economy based on

and

, notably for banks and industries. According to the US Department of State, this followed a vision of "turning Pakistan into a outh

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and Sout ...

by encouraging greater private saving and investment to accelerate economic growth." The privatisation programme reversed the

nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...

by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the PPP in the 1970s. By 1993, around 115 nationalised industries were opened to private ownership, including the National Development Finance Corporation, Pakistan National Shipping Corporation,

National Electric Power Regulatory Authority The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority ( ur, , abbreviated as NEPRA) is responsible for regulating the electricity supply in Pakistan. It is also responsible for issuing licences for generation, transmission and distribution of electric ...

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Aviation Secretary of Pakistan, Secretary to the Governme ...

(PIA), Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation, and

Pakistan State Oil Pakistan State Oil (); reporting name: PSO) is a Karachi-based Pakistani state-owned petroleum corporation involved in marketing and distribution of petroleum products. It has a network of 3,689 petroleum filling stations, out of which 3500 out ...

. This boosted the economy but a lack of competition in bidding allowed the rise of business oligarchs and further widened the wealth gap, contributing to political instability. Former science advisor Dr. Mubashir Hassan called Nawaz's privatisation "unconstitutional". The PPP held that nationalisation policy was given constitutional status by

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

, and that privatisation policies were illegal and had taken place without parliamentary approval. Pakistan gdp growth rate

Nawaz initiated several large-scale projects to stimulate the economy, such as the

Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project ( ur, غازى بروتھا) is a 1,450 MW run-of-the-river hydropower connected to the Indus River about west of Attock in Punjab and east of Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Construction of the pr ...

. However, unemployment remained a challenge. In an attempt to counter this, Nawaz imported thousands of privatised Yellow-cab taxis for young Pakistanis, but few of the loans were repaid and Nawaz was forced to pay for them through his steel industry. Nawaz's projects were not evenly distributed, focusing on Punjab and Kashmir Provinces, the base of his support, with lesser efforts in Khyber and Balochistan provinces, and no benefits from industrialization in

Sindh Province Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. After intense criticism from the PPP and MQM, Nawaz completed the Orangi Cottage Industrial Zone but this did not repair his reputation in Sindh. Opponents accused Nawaz of using political influence to build factories for himself and his business, for expanding the Armed Forces' secretive industrial conglomerate and bribing generals.

Science policy

While privatising industry, Nawaz took steps for intense government control of science in Pakistan, and placed projects under his authorisation. In 1991, Nawaz founded and authorised the

Pakistan Antarctic Programme The Pakistan Antarctic Programme ( ur, ), abbreviated as PAP) is a scientific administrative division of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) which represents the Government of Pakistan on the continent of Antarctica. The program coordi ...

under the scientific directions of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), with the

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Qur'an, 3:173'') , type ...

's Weapons Engineering Division, and first established the Jinnah Antarctic Station and Polar Research Cell. In 1992, Pakistan became an associate member of the

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council (ISC). SCAR coordinates international scientific research efforts in Antarctica, including the Southern Ocean. SCAR's scie ...

. On 28 July 1997, Nawaz declared 1997 a year of science in Pakistan and personally allotted funds for the 22nd INSC College on Theoretical Physics. In 1999, Nawaz signed the executive decree, declaring 28 May as the National Science Day in Pakistan.

Nuclear policy

Nawaz made the nuclear weapons and energy programme one of his top priorities. He expanded the nuclear energy program, and continued an atomic programme while following a policy of deliberate nuclear ambiguity. This resulted in a nuclear crisis with the United States which tightened its embargo on Pakistan in December 1990 and reportedly offered substantial economic aid to halt the country's uranium enrichment programme. Responding to US embargo, Nawaz announced that Pakistan had no atomic bomb, and would sign the

Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation ...

if India did as well. The embargo blocked plans for a French-built nuclear power plant, so Nawaz's advisors intensively lobbied the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...

(IAEA), which allowed China to establish CHASNUPP-I nuclear power plant and upgrade KANUPP-I. Nawaz's nuclear policy was considered less aggressive towards India with its focus on public usage through

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...

and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care p ...

, viewed as a continuation of the US Atoms for Peace programme. In 1993, Nawaz established the Institute of Nuclear Engineering (INE) to promote his policy for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Co-operatives societies scandal

Nawaz suffered a major loss of political support from the co-operatives societies scandal. These societies accept deposits from members and can legally make loans only to members for purposes to the benefit of the membership. However, mismanagement led to a collapse affecting millions of Pakistanis in 1992. In Punjab and Kashmir, around 700,000 people lost their savings, and it was discovered that billions of rupees had been granted to the Ittefaq Group of Industries – Nawaz's steel mill. Although the loans were hurriedly repaid, Nawaz's reputation was severely damaged.

Constitutional crisis and resignation

Nawaz had developed serious issues of authority with conservative President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who had raised Nawaz to prominence during the Zia dictatorship. On 18 April, ahead of the 1993 Parliamentary election, Khan used his

reserve powers Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...

(58-2b) to dissolve the National Assembly, and with the support of the army appointed Mir Balakh Sher as interim prime minister. Nawaz refused to accept this act and raised a challenge at the

. On 26 May, the Supreme Court ruled 10–1 that the presidential order was unconstitutional, that the president could dissolve the assembly only if a constitutional breakdown had occurred and that the government's incompetence or corruption was irrelevant. ( Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was the only dissenting judge; he later became 13th Chief Justice of Pakistan.) Issues of authority continued. In July 1993, under pressure from the armed forces, Nawaz resigned under an agreement that also removed President Khan from power. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Shamim Allam and the Chief of Army Staff General Abdul Vahied Kakar forced Khan to resign from the presidency and ended the political standoff. Under the close scrutiny of the Pakistan Armed Forces, an interim and transitional government was formed and new parliamentary election was held after three months.

Parliamentary opposition (1993–1996)

Following 1993 elections, the PPP returned to power under Benazir Bhutto. Nawaz offered his full co-operation as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

but soon the PPP and PML-N held parliament locked in dispute. Bhutto found it difficult to act effectively in the face of opposition from Nawaz, and also faced problems in her political stronghold of Sindh Province from her younger brother

. Nawaz and Murtaza Bhutto formed the Nawaz-Bhutto axis and worked to undermine Benazir Bhutto's government, tapping an anti-corruption wave in Pakistan. They accused the government of corruption with major state corporations and slowing economic progress. In 1994 and 1995 they made a "train march" from Karachi to Peshawar, making critical speeches to huge crowds. Nawaz organised strikes throughout Pakistan in September and October 1994. The death of Murtaza Bhutto in 1996, which allegedly involved Benazir's spouse, led to demonstrations in Sindh and the government lost control of the province. Benazir Bhutto became widely unpopular across the country and was ousted in October 1996.

Second term as prime minister (1997–1999)

By 1996, continuous large-scale corruption by the government of Benazir Bhutto had deteriorated the country's economy, which was nearing failure. In the 1997 parliamentary elections, Nawaz and the PML-N won an overwhelming victory, with an exclusive mandate from across Pakistan. It was hoped that Nawaz would deliver on promises to provide a stable conservative government and improve overall conditions. Nawaz was sworn as prime minister on 17 February. Nawaz had formed an alliance with Altaf Hussain of the MQM which fell apart following the assassination of Hakim Said. Nawaz then removed the MQM from parliament and assumed control of Karachi while MQM was forced underground. This led Nawaz to claim an exclusive mandate, and for the first time Nawaz and the PML-N had the control of Sindh, Balochistan, Northwest Frontier, Kashmir and Punjab. With a

supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority r ...

, Nawaz's new government amended the constitution to restrict the powers of the president to dismiss governments. With the passing of the 14th amendment, Nawaz emerged as the most powerful elected prime minister in the country. Nawaz's popularity peaked in May 1998 after conducting the country's first

nuclear weapons tests Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected b ...

in response to tests by India. When Western countries suspended

foreign aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

, Nawaz froze the country's foreign currency reserves and economic conditions worsened. The country became embroiled in conflicts on two borders and Nawaz's long-standing relationships with the military establishment fell apart, so that by mid-1999 few approved of his policies.

Atomic policy

During the 1997 elections, Nawaz promised to follow his policy of nuclear ambiguity while using nuclear energy to stimulate the economy. However, on 7 September, before a state visit to the US, Nawaz acknowledged in a STN News interview that the country had had an atomic bomb since 1978. Nawaz maintained that: On 1 December, Nawaz told the ''

Daily Jang The ''Daily Jang'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu newspaper headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939, first published during World War II, hence the name (Jang) translat ...

'' and ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cate ...

'' that Pakistan would immediately become a party of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nation ...

(CTBT) if India signed and ratified it first. Under his leadership, the nuclear program had become a vital part of Pakistan's economic policy.

1998 nuclear crisis

In May 1998, soon after Indian nuclear tests, Nawaz vowed that his country would make a suitable reply. On 14 May, Leader of the Opposition Benazir Bhutto and MQM called for nuclear tests, followed by calls from the public. When India tested its nuclear weapons the second time, it caused a great alarm in Pakistan and pressure mounted on Nawaz. On 15 May, Nawaz put the armed forces on high-alert and called a

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

meeting, discussing the financial, diplomatic, military, strategic and national security concerns. Only Treasure Minister Sartaj Aziz opposed the tests, due to the economic recession, low

foreign exchange reserves Foreign exchange reserves (also called forex reserves or FX reserves) are cash and other reserve assets such as gold held by a central bank or other monetary authority that are primarily available to balance payments of the country, influence ...

, and

economic sanctions Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they may ...

. Nawaz was initially hesitant of the economic impact of nuclear testing, and observed the international reaction to India's tests, where an embargo had no economic effect. Failure to conduct the tests would put the credibility of Pakistan's nuclear deterrence in doubt, which was emphasized when Indian Home Minister Lal Kishanchand Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes gloated and belittled Pakistan, angering Nawaz. On 18 May, Nawaz ordered the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) (Urdu: ) is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful usage of nuclea ...

(PAEC) to make preparation for the tests, and put military forces on high alert to provide support. On 21 May, Nawaz authorised nuclear weapon tests in Balochistan. On 27 May, the day before testing, the ISI detected Israeli F-16 fighters conducting exercises and received intelligence that they had orders to attack Pakistan's nuclear facilities on behalf of India. Nawaz scrambled the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

and had nuclear bombs prepared for deployment. According to political scientist Shafik H. Hashmi, the US and other nations assured Nawaz that Pakistan was safe; the Israeli attack never materialized. On 28 and 30 May 1998, Pakistan successfully carried out its nuclear tests, codenamed

Chagai-I Chagai-I is the code name of five simultaneous underground nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan at 15:15 hrs PKT on 28 May 1998. The tests were performed at Ras Koh Hills in the Chagai District of Balochistan Province. Chagai-I was Pakistan' ...

and

Chagai-II Chagai-II is the codename assigned to the second atomic test conducted by Pakistan, carried out on 30 May 1998 in the Kharan Desert in Balochistan Province of Pakistan. ''Chagai-II'' took place two days after Pakistan's first successful test, ...

. Following these test, Nawaz appeared on national television and stated: Nawaz's political prestige reached its peak when the country went nuclear. Despite the intense international criticism and decline in foreign investment and trade, Nawaz's domestic popularity increased, as the tests made Pakistan the first Muslim country and seventh nation to become a

. Editorials were full of praise for the country's leadership and advocated the development of

nuclear deterrence Deterrence theory refers to the scholarship and practice of how threats or limited force by one party can convince another party to refrain from initiating some other course of action. The topic gained increased prominence as a military strategy ...

. Leader of the Opposition Benazir Bhutto congratulated Nawaz for his "bold decision" in spite of the economic outcomes, and felt that the tests erased doubts and fears which troubled the nation since the

Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decemb ...

. In India, opposition leaders in

blamed the government for starting a nuclear arms race. Nawaz was awarded an

Ig Nobel The Ig Nobel Prize ( ) is a satiric prize awarded annually since 1991 to celebrate ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name o ...

prize for his "aggressively peaceful explosions of atomic bombs".

Economic policy

Nawaz built Pakistan's first major motorway, the

M2 Motorway This is a list of roads designated M2: Europe * M2 motorway (Great Britain), a motorway in England * M2 expressway (Hungary), a motorway in Hungary * N2 road (Ireland)#M2 motorway, a motorway in the Republic of Ireland * M-2 highway (Monteneg ...

(3MM), called the

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...

of South Asia. This public-private project was completed in November 1997 at a cost of US$989.12 million. His critics questioned the layout of the highway, its excessive length, its distance from important cities, and the absence of link roads with important towns. It also appropriated funds designated for the Peshawar–Karachi Indus Highway, benefiting Punjab and Kashmir at the cost of other provinces. There was particular dissatisfaction in Sindh and Balochistan Provinces, and Nawaz faced a lack of capital investment to finance additional projects. Nawaz loosened foreign exchange restrictions and opened

Karachi Stock Exchange The Karachi Stock Exchange ( ur, or PSX-KSE) was a stock exchange located in Karachi, Pakistan. Since 1947, it has been located at the Stock Exchange Building on I. I. Chundrigar Road. It has now been consolidated in the Pakistan Stock Exch ...

to foreign capital, but the government remained short of funds for investments. Due to economic pressures, Nawaz halted the national space programme. This forced the Space Research Commission to delay the launch of its satellite, Badr-II(B), which was completed in 1997. This caused frustration among the scientific community who criticised Nawaz's inability to promote science. Senior scientists and engineers attributed this to "Nawaz's personal corruption" that affected national security. By the end of Nawaz's second term, the economy was in turmoil. The government faced serious structural issues and financial problems; inflation and foreign debt stood at an all-time high, and unemployment in Pakistan had reached its highest point. Pakistan had debts of US$32bn against reserves of little more than $1bn. The

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glob ...

(IMF) had suspended aid, demanding the country's finances be resolved. Nawaz continued to meddle with the stock exchange markets with devastating effects. By the time he was deposed, the country was heading for financial default.

Foreign policy

Nawaz strengthened Pakistan's relations with the

Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

and Europe. In February 1997, Nawaz met with Chinese President

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as p ...

and Premier

Li Peng Li Peng (; 20 October 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Chinese politician who served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1987 to 1998, and as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Chi ...

to discuss economic cooperation. Two conferences were organised in Beijing and Hong Kong to promote Chinese investment in Pakistan. In 1997, Nawaz signed a trilateral free trade agreement with Malaysia and Singapore, which was followed by collaboration in defence. One of the core issues was Malaysia's agreement on sharing its space technology with Pakistan. Both Malaysia and Singapore assured their support for Pakistan to join Asia–Europe Meeting, though Pakistan and India were not parties to the treaty until 2008. Nawaz Sharif with William Cohen, 981203-D-9880W-117

Nawaz Sharif with William Cohen, 981203-D-9880W-117

In January 1998, Nawaz signed bilateral economic agreements with South Korean President

Kim Young-sam Kim Young-sam (; or ; 20 December 1927 – 22 November 2015) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the seventh president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. From 1961, he spent almost 30 years as one of the leaders of t ...

. Nawaz urged

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

to make peace and improve its ties with South Korea; causing a division in Pakistan–North Korean relations. In April 1998, Nawaz went on to visit Italy, Germany, Poland, and Belgium to promote economic ties. He signed a number of agreements to enlarge economic co-operation with Italy and Belgium, and an agreement with the European Union (EU) for the protection of intellectual, industrial and commercial property rights. However, Nawaz's diplomatic efforts seemed to have gone to waste after conducting nuclear tests in May 1998. Widespread international criticism brought Pakistan's reputation to a low since the

. Pakistan failed to gather any support from its allies at the UN, and trade agreements were repealed by the US, Europe, and Asian bloc. Pakistan was accused of allowing nuclear proliferation. In June 1998, Nawaz authorised a secret meeting between Pakistan and Israel's ambassadors to the UN and US, and assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Pakistan would not transfer nuclear technology or materials to Iran or other Middle Eastern countries. Israel responded with concerns that Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi's visit to Pakistan shortly after the May 1998 nuclear weapons tests was a sign that Pakistan was preparing to sell nuclear technology to Iran. In 1998, India and Pakistan made an agreement recognising the principle of building an environment of peace and security and resolving all bilateral conflicts.The Lahore Declaration
. (PDF) usip.org. Retrieved 5 August 2012. On 19 February 1999, Indian Premier

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

paid a historic state visit to Pakistan, travelling on the inaugural Delhi–Lahore Bus connecting the Indian capital with Pakistan's major cultural city of Lahore. On 21 February, the prime ministers signed a bilateral agreement with a memorandum of understanding to ensure nuclear-free safety in South Asia, which became known as the Lahore Declaration. The agreement was widely popular in both countries, where it was felt that development of nuclear weapons brought added responsibility and promoted the importance of confidence-building measures to avoid accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons. Some Western observers compared the treaty to the cold war

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of ...

.Vajpayee drives across the border into Pakistan and history
Rediff.com (20 February 1999). Retrieved 5 August 2012.

Constitutional amendments

In late August 1998, Nawaz proposed a law to establish a legal system based on Islamic principles. His proposal came a week after the 10-year commemorations of the late president

Zia ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial la ...

. After his cabinet removed some of its controversial aspects, the National Assembly approved and passed the bill on 10 October 1998 by a vote of 151 to 16. With a majority in parliament, Nawaz reverted the

semi-presidential system A semi-presidential republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it ha ...

in favour of a more

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

. With these amendments, Nawaz became the country's strongest freely-elected prime minister. However, these amendments failed to achieve a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which remained under the control of the PPP. Weeks later, parliament was suspended by a military coup and Legal Framework Order, 2002 (2002 LFO) returned the country to a semi-presidential system for another decade. Nawaz's Fourteenth Amendment consolidated his power by preventing legislators and lawmakers from dissenting or voting against their own parties, and prohibited judicial appeal for offenders. Legislators from different parties challenged this with the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions ...

, infuriating Nawaz. He openly criticised Chief Justice Sajad Alishah, inviting a notice of contempt. At the urging of the military and president, Nawaz agreed the solve the conflict amicably but remained determined to oust Alishah.

1997 Constitutional crisis

Nawaz manipulated the ranks of senior judges, deposing two judges close to Alishah. The deposed judges challenged Nawaz's orders on procedural grounds by filing a petition at Quetta High Court on 26 November 1997. Alishah was restrained by his fellow judges from adjudicating in the case against the prime minister. On 28 November, Nawaz appeared in the Supreme Court and justified his actions, citing evidence against the two deposed judges. Alishah suspended the decision of Quetta High Court, but soon the

Peshawar High Court The Peshawar High Court ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is located in the provincial capital Peshawar. The Parliament passed a bill extending the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court (SC) and the Peshawar High ...

issued similar orders removing Alishah's closest judges. The associate chief justice of Peshawar High Court, Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, declared himself acting chief justice. Alishah continued to assert his authority and persisted in hearing Nawaz's case. On 30 November, Nawaz's cabinet ministers and a large number of supporters entered the Supreme Court building, disrupting the proceedings. The chief justice requested the military police, and subsequently struck down the Thirteenth Amendment, restoring the power of the president. However, the military-backed Nawaz refused to obey the president's orders to remove him. Nawaz forced President

Farooq Leghari Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari ( ur, ; 29 May 194020 October 2010), was a Pakistani politician who served as the eighth president of Pakistan from 14 November 1993 until resigning on 2 December 1997. He is the first Baloch to have been elected a ...

to resign, and appointed

Wasim Sajjad Wasim Sajjad ( ur, ; born 30 March 1941) is a Pakistani conservative politician and lawyer who served as the acting president of Pakistan for two non-consecutive terms and as the Chairman of the Senate between 1988 and 1999. Born in Jalan ...

as acting president, then ousted Alishah to end the constitutional crisis. On 29 November 2006, Nawaz and the PML-N issued a formal apology for their actions to Alishah and Leghari. A written apology was presented to Alishah at his residence and later, his party issued a

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...

in Parliament formally apologising for their wrongdoing.

Policy on anti-terrorism

Nawaz passed the controversial Anti-Terrorist Act on 17 August 1997, which established Anti-Terrorism Courts. The Supreme Court later rendered the Act unconstitutional. However, Nawaz made amendments and received the permission of the Supreme Court to establish these courts.

Relations with the military

From 1981 until 1999, Nawaz enjoyed extremely cordial relations with the Pakistan Armed Forces, and was the only senior civilian leader to have friendly relations with the military establishment during that period. However, when Chief of Army Staff General

Jehangir Karamat General Jehangir Karamat ( ur, ; born 20 February 1941) best known as JK, is a senior Pakistan Army officer who served as the 6th Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, from 12 January 1996 to 6 October 1998. diplomat, public intellectual, ...

advocated for a

, Nawaz interpreted this as a conspiracy to return the military to an active political role. In October 1998, three months before the end of his term, Karamat was forced to resign. This was controversial even within Nawaz's cabinet and was seen as the least-popular moment of Nawaz's administration. Military lawyers and civilian law experts saw this as unconstitutional and a violation of military justice code. However, Media Minister Syed Mushahid Hussain felt that Pakistan was "finally becoming a normal democratic society", not beholden to its military. Nawaz promoted General

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 the ...

to replace Karamat, also making Musharraf Chairman of the Joint Chiefs despite his lack of seniority. Admiral Fasih Bokhari resigned as Chief of Naval Staff in protest. Bokhari lodged a protest against the Kargil debacle and called for the court-martial of Musharraf, who Nawaz said acted alone. In August, India shot down a Pakistan Navy reconnaissance aircraft in the

Atlantique Incident Pakistan Navy Atlantic shootdown happened on 10 August 1999, when a Breguet Atlantic maritime patrol aircraft of the Pakistan Naval Air Arm was shot down by a MiG 21 fighter of the Indian Air Force over the Rann of Kutch, on the border betwee ...

, killing 16 naval officers, the greatest number of combat casualties for the navy since the

Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971 refers to the maritime military engagements between the Indian Navy and the Pakistan Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The series of naval operations began with the Indian Navy's exertion of pre ...

. Nawaz failed to gain foreign support against India for the incident, which newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff Admiral

Abdul Aziz Mirza Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza ( ur, ; born 1943) was a Pakistan Navy officer who served as the Chief of Naval Staff from 1999 until retiring in 2002, amid taking over the command of the Navy after the revolt and resignation Admiral Fasih Bokhar ...

viewed as a lack of support for the navy in wartime. Nawaz further lost the confidence of the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

for failing to defend the navy at the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

(ICJ) in September. Relations with the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

likewise deteriorated, when Chief of Air Staff General Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi accused the prime minister of not consulting the air force in matters critical to national security. Two months later, after steadily worsening relations with the Armed Forces, Nawaz was deposed by Musharraf and martial law was established throughout the country.

Coup, trial and exile

The simultaneous conflicts in the

Kargil war The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referre ...

with

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and Afghanistan's civil war, along with economical turmoil, turned public opinion against Nawaz and his policies. On 12 October 1999, Nawaz attempted to remove

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 the ...

for military failures and replace him with General

Ziauddin Butt General Khawaja Ziauddin Abbasi ( ur, خواجہ ضیاء الدین عباسى), also known as Ziauddin Butt ( ur, ضیاء الدین بٹ), is a retired four-star rank army generalChaudhry, Aminullah (2009) Hijacking from the Ground: The Bi ...

. Nawaz's mindset was to remove the Chairman Joint Chiefs and the Chief of Army Staff first, then depose the other armed forces chiefs who had destroyed his credibility. Musharraf, who was in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, attempted to return on a PIA commercial flight. Nawaz ordered the Sindh Police Force to arrest

. Fearing a ''coup d'état'', he further ordered the Jinnah Terminal to be sealed to prevent the landing of the airliner. The A300 aircraft was ordered to land at Nawabshah Airport (now Shaheed Benazirabad Airport). There,

contacted top Pakistan Army generals who took over the country and ousted Nawaz's administration. Nawaz was taken to Adiala Jail for trial by a military judge.

later assumed control of the government as chief executive. A single protest was held by Sardar Mohsin Abbasi in front of the

on 17 October on the first hearing of Nawaz. Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Sir Anjam Khan, Zafer Ali Shah and Sardar Mohsin Abbasi were the only supporters left after the first six months. Many of Nawaz's cabinet ministers and his constituents were divided during the court proceedings and remained neutral. Dissidents such as

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain ( pa, ; ur, ; (born 27 January 1940) is a senior Pakistani politician from a Punjabi Jat family of Gujrat who previously served as 16th prime minister of Pakistan. Hussain is the party president of the Pakistan ...

remained quiet and later formed

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ur, ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League") is a Conservative nationalist political party in Pakistan. As of the 2018 parliamentary election, it has a r ...

(PML-Q), splitting Nawaz's party into small factions. The military police initiated massive arrests of the PML workers and party leaders, who were held in Sindh and Punjab police prisons. The military placed Nawaz on trial for "kidnapping, attempted murder, hijacking and terrorism and corruption". In a speedy trial, the military court convicted Nawaz and gave him a life sentence. Reports surfaced that Nawaz had nearly been sentenced to execution. His leading defence lawyer, Iqbal Raad, was gunned down in Karachi in mid-March. Nawaz's defence team blamed the military for providing inadequate protection.McCarthy, Rory (11 March 2000)
Gunmen Shoot Dead Lawyer of Deposed Pakistani Leader Sharif
Guardian News. The military court proceedings were widely accused of being a

show trial A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt (law), guilt or innocence of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the ...

. Nawaz was also tried for

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...

on the purchase of a helicopter worth US$1 million. The

Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is based in Lahore, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over Punjab (Pakistan). The High Court's principal seat is in Lahore, but there are benches ...

agreed to acquit him if he could prove his innocence, but Nawaz was unable to cite any substantial evidence. He was ordered to pay a fine of US$400,000 on grounds of

, and he was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, under Nawaz and King Fahd, had enjoyed extremely close business and cultural relations that is sometimes attributed as a

special relationship The Special Relationship is a term that is often used to describe the political, social, diplomatic, cultural, economic, legal, environmental, religious, military and historic relations between the United Kingdom and the United States or i ...

. Saudi Arabia was shocked at the news of the coup. Amid pressure by Fahd and US President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

, the military court avoided a death sentence for Sharif. Fahd had expressed concern that the death sentence would provoke intense ethnic violence in Pakistan as had happened in the 1980s following the execution of

. Under an agreement facilitated by Saudi Arabia, Nawaz was placed in exile for the next 10 years, and agreed not to take part in politics in Pakistan for 21 years. He also forfeited property worth US$8.3 million (£5.7 million) and paid a fine of US$500,000. Musharraf wrote in his memoirs that, without the intervention of Fahd, Sharif would have been executed. Nawaz travelled to

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 promi ...

, Saudi Arabia, where he was taken to a residence managed and controlled by the Saudi government, and provided a Saudi loan to establish a steel mill.

Return to Pakistan

Failed attempt in Islamabad

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled on 23 August 2007 that Nawaz and his brother,

, were free to return to Pakistan. Both vowed to return soon.Pakistan court orders arrest of Sharif's brother
Channel NewsAsia (7 September 2007). Retrieved 15 January 2011.FACTBOX-Five Facts on Nawaz Sharif
Reuters.co.uk. (30 August 2007). On 8 September, Lebanese politician

Saad Hariri Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri ( ar, سعد الدين رفيق الحريري, translit=Saʿd ad-Dīn Rafīq al-Ḥarīrī; born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese-Saudi politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 t ...

and Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz held an unprecedented joint press conference at Army Combatant Generals Headquarters (GHQ) to discuss how Nawaz's return would affect relations. Muqrin expressed hope that Nawaz would continue with the agreement to not return for 10 years, but said "these little things do not affect relations".Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Daily Times (9 September 2007). Retrieved 15 January 2011. Two days later, Nawaz returned from exile in London to

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

. He was prevented from leaving the aeroplane and he was deported to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, within hours. His political career appeared to be over.

Successful return in Lahore

Musharraf went to Saudi Arabia on 20 November 2007, the first time he left Pakistan since implementing the emergency rule. He attempted to convince Saudi Arabia to prevent Nawaz from returning until after the January 2008 elections. Nawaz had become more politically relevant after the return to Pakistan of Benazir Bhutto, who had also been exiled. Saudi Arabia suggested that if Pakistan had allowed a democratic-socialist woman leader, Bhutto, to return to the country, then the conservative Nawaz should be permitted to return as well.Perlez, Jane (20 November 2007)
Musharraf in Saudi Arabia for Talks on Rival Sharif
''The New York Times''. Nawaz returned to Pakistan five days later. Thousands of supporters whistled and cheered as they hoisted Nawaz and his brother on their shoulders.Gall, Carlotta (25 November 2007)

''The New York Times''. After an 11-hour procession from the airport, he reached a mosque where he offered prayers as well as criticism against Musharraf. His return to Pakistan allowed only one day to register for elections, setting the stage for an overnight shift of the political scene.

2008 General elections

Nawaz called for the boycott of the January 2008 elections because he believed the poll would not be fair, given a state of emergency imposed by Musharraf. Nawaz and the PML-N decided to participate in the parliamentary elections after 33 opposition groups, including Bhutto's PPP, met in Lahore but failed to reach a joint position. He campaigned for the restoration of the independent judges removed by emergency government decree and Musharraf's departure. Bhutto's assassination led to the postponement of the elections to 18 February 2008.Bowring, Philip (7 January 2008)

''The New York Times''. Nawaz condemned Bhutto's assassination and called it the "gloomiest day in Pakistan's history". As the elections approached, the country faced a rise in attacks by militants. Nawaz accused Musharraf of ordering anti-terror operations that had left the country "drowned in blood". Pakistan's government urged opposition leaders to refrain from holding rallies ahead of the elections, citing an escalating terrorist threat. The PML-N rejected this, accusing officials of campaign interference.Militants Overrun Pakistan Army Base
CBS News (16 January 2008). On 25 January, Musharraf attempted British mediation to reconcile with the Nawaz brothers but failed. The elections were dominated by the PPP, boosted by the death of Bhutto, and PML-N. In the 342-seat National Assembly, PPP received 86 seats; the PML-N, 66; and the PML-Q, which backed Musharraf, 40.

In opposition (2008–2013)

Nawaz's party had joined a coalition with the PPP, led by its new leader Asif Ali Zardari, but the alliance was strained by differences. Nawaz won much public support for his uncompromising stand, and the coalition successfully forced Musharraf's resignation from the presidency. After the coalition's collapse, Nawaz pressured Zardari to reinstate the judges Musharraf removed during emergency rule. This led to the courts absolving Nawaz's criminal record so that he could re-enter parliament.

By-elections

In the June 2008 by-elections, Nawaz's party won 91 National Assembly seats and 180 provincial assembly seats in the Punjab. Election for the Lahore seat was postponed due to questions of Nawaz's eligibility to contest.Sharif's party does well in Pakistani by-elections
Reuters (27 June 2008). Retrieved 5 August 2012.

Musharraf impeachment

The coalition government agreed on 7 August 2008 to impeach Musharraf. Zardari and Nawaz sent a formal request for him to step down. A charge sheet had been drafted and was to be presented to parliament. It included Musharraf's first seizure of power in 1999 and his second in November 2007, when he declared an emergency as a means of being re-elected president. The charge-sheet also listed some of Musharraf's contributions to the "war on terror".Pakistan: Exit the president
The Economist. Retrieved 5 August 2012. The National Assembly was summoned four days later to discuss impeachment proceedings. On 18 August, Musharraf resigned as President of Pakistan due to mounting political pressure. On 19 August, Musharraf defended his nine-year rule in an hour-long speech. Nawaz claimed that Musharraf was responsible for the crisis in the nation. "Musharraf pushed the country's economy 20 years back after imposing martial law in the country and ousting the democratic government".

Lawyers movement

Musharraf had dismissed 60 judges and Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry under the state of emergency in March 2007, in a failed bid to remain in power. Sharif had championed the cause of the judges since their dismissal, and he and Zardari had supported the reinstatement of judges in their campaigns. However, the new coalition government had failed to restore the judges, leading to its collapse in late 2008. Zardari feared that Chaudhry would undo all edicts instated by Musharraf including an amnesty that Zardari had received from corruption charges. Nawaz-Sharif-Long-March-on-Ferozpur-Road-lahore-on-March-15-2009

Nawaz-Sharif-Long-March-on-Ferozpur-Road-lahore-on-March-15-2009

On 25 February 2009, the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab, from holding public office. Zardari attempted to place Nawaz under house arrest, but the Punjab police left his residence after an angry crowd gathered outside. The police decision to lift his confinement was very likely in response to an army command. Nawaz, with a large contingent of SUVs, began leading a march to

but ended the march in

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisal ...

. In a televised speech on 16 March, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani promised to reinstate Chaudhry after receiving pressure from Pakistan's army, American and British envoys, and internal protests. PPP made a secret agreement to restore the PML government in the Punjab. Nawaz then called off the "long march". The PPP-led government continued to survive. A senior PML-N leader said "95% of the members of the PML(N) were against becoming part of the lawyers' movement, but after the upreme Courtverdict, the PML(N) had no other choice".

Removal of bar on third term

The 18th Amendment passed in Parliament on 8 April 2010, removing the bar which allowed prime ministers to serve a maximum of two terms in office. This made Nawaz eligible to again become prime minister, which he did in 2013.

2013 Pakistan general election

Khan–Sharif rivalry

Between 2011 and 2013, Nawaz and

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

began to engage each other in a bitter feud. The rivalry between the two leaders grew in late 2011 when Khan addressed a large crowd at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. The two began to blame each other for many political reasons. From 26 April 2013, in the run up to the 2013 elections, both the

PML-N The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a centre-right and liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Part ...

and the

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thr ...

(PTI) vehemently criticised each other. Khan was accused of personally attacking Nawaz and was given notice by the

, though Khan denied it.

Policies

Nawaz campaigned on a promise to end

loadshedding A rolling blackout, also referred to as rota or rotational load shedding, rota disconnection, feeder rotation, or a rotating outage, is an intentionally engineered electrical power shutdown in which electricity delivery is stopped for non-overl ...

, construct motorways and Peshawar–Karachi

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

. He also promised to construct a third port in Keti Bandar on the southern coast of

Thatta District Thatta District ( sd, ٺٽو ضلعو, ur, ) is located in the southern area, locally called ''Laar'', of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its capital is Thatta. It is home to a large necropolis of Makli. In 2013, several talukas were separat ...

. Just prior to the election, Nawaz confirmed he had a long telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indi ...

, suggesting a desire to improve diplomatic relations.

Results

The

announced that the PML-N had won 124 seats in Parliament. Needing 13 additional seats to form a majority, Sharif held talks with elected independent candidates to form a coalition. Eight days later, 18 independent candidates joined the party, allowing PML-N to form the government without the agreement of another political party. Nawaz stated that he wanted to take his oath as prime minister on 28 May, the fifteenth anniversary of the

nuclear tests. On 27 June 2014, Khan announced that PTI would march on 14 August in protest of the government, alleging that the 2013 elections had been rigged. On 6 August 2014, Khan demanded the assemblies be dissolved and the resignations of the election commission and prime minister, claiming that

the march The March can refer to: * March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a 1963 civil rights event * Salt March, when Gandhi in 1930 walked to protest the British salt tax in India * Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War * Long March i ...

would be the "biggest political protest in the history of the country." PTI began their march from Lahore on 14 August and reached Islamabad on 16 August. Khan accused Nawaz of plundering the national wealth, and called on the public to withhold taxes and payment of utility bills to force the government to resign. In protest of alleged election rigging, the PTI's lawmakers announced their resignation from the National Assembly, and the Punjab and Sindh assemblies. PML-N attempted to negotiate a settlement with Khan and his party's backers to break the political deadlock. On 22 August 2014, Khan and his fellow 33 PTI lawmakers resigned from the National Assembly. He called for a caretaker government to be formed of non-politicians, and for fresh elections.

Third term as prime minister (2013–2017)

Nawaz was sworn in for an unprecedented third term as prime minister on 7 June 2013. He faced numerous challenges, including bringing an end to US drone strikes and Taliban attacks while also tackling a crippled

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

. Speculation was rife that the new government would need a bailout from the

to restore economic stability.

Social policy

Nawaz's third term moved from social conservatism to social centrism. In 2016, he called the future of Pakistan as one underpinned as an "educated, progressive, forward looking and an enterprising nation". In January 2016 he backed the Punjab government policy of banning

Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is a transnational Deobandi Islamic missionary movement that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encouraging fellow members t ...

from preaching in educational institutions and in February he enacted a law to provide a helpline for women to report domestic abuse, despite the criticism of conservative religious parties. Nawaz's government hanged

Mumtaz Qadri Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri (1985 – 29 February 2016), better known as Mumtaz Qadri (, ur, ), was the assassin of Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando of the Elite Police and, at the time of the assassination, a member ...

on 29 February 2016. Qadri had fatally shot

Salman Taseer Salman Taseer ( Punjabi and ur, ); ( 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, h ...

over his opposition to

blasphemy laws A blasphemy law is a law prohibiting blasphemy, which is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. According to Pew Research Center, about ...

. According to

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

, the move to hang Qadri was an indication of the government's growing confidence in taming the street power of religious groups. To the disliking of religious conservatives, Nawaz promised that the perpetrators of

honour killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...

s would be 'punished very severely'. In March 2016, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' reported that Nawaz was defying Pakistan's powerful clergy by unblocking access to YouTube, pushing to end child marriage, enacting a landmark domestic violence bill, and overseeing the execution of Qadri. Sunni Tehreek led protests of nearly 2,000 Islamic fundamentist on 28 March 2016, staging a three-day sit-in at the D-Chowk in Islamabad, demanding that Nawaz implement Shariah and declare Qadri a martyr. In response, Nawaz addressed the nation, stating that those "fanning the fire of hatred" would be dealt with under the law. Nawaz's government declared that the Hindu festivals

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is o ...

and

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

, and the Christian festival of Easter, were officially public holidays. ''Time Magazine'' called this a "significant step for the country's beleaguered religious minorities." On 6 December 2016, Nawaz approved the renaming of

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedi ...

's (QAU) physics centre to the Professor Abdus Salam Center for Physics. Nawaz also established the ''Professor Abdus Salam Fellowship'' to fully fund five Pakistani doctoral students in Physics. In response, the Council of Islamic Ideology criticised Nawaz's move claiming that "changing the department's name would not set the right precedent." Nawaz stressed the need for operation Zarb-e-Qalam to fight societal extremism and intolerance through the power of "writers, poets and intellectuals". Addressing the Pakistan Academy of Literature, Nawaz said that "in a society where flowers of poetry and literature bloom, the diseases of extremism, intolerance, disunity and sectarianism are not born". Nawaz also announced a million endowment fund for the promotion of art and literary activities in Pakistan. On 9 January 2017, the government denied visas for international preachers for the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Lahore. Jamia Binoria criticised the government's decisions. Nawaz, in a March 2017 address at Jamia Naeemia, urged Islamic scholars to spread the true teachings of Islam and take a firm stand against those who are causing disunity among Muslims. Nawaz called for a "progressive and prosperous Muslim world", and asked the "religious scholars to ..take the war against these terrorists to its logical end."

Economic policy

The country's economy faced many challenges including energy shortages,

hyperinflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimize their holdings in that currency as ...

, mild economic growth, high debt and a large budget deficit. Shortly after taking power in 2013, Nawaz received a US$6.6 billion loan from the

(IMF) to avoid a balance-of-payments crisis. Lower oil prices, higher remittances and increased consumer spending pushed growth toward a seven-year high of 4.3 percent in 2014–15.

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

attributed gradual growth in economy to the continued low prices for oil and other commodities, the expected pick-up in growth in the advanced economies, and some alleviation of power shortages. However, the

sovereign debt A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit o ...

of Pakistan increased dramatically, with total debts and liabilities swelled to trillion (or US$73 billion) by August 2016. Nawaz's administration issued a five-year $500-million Eurobond in 2015 at 8.25% interest and in September 2016, it also raised $1 billion by floating Sukuk (Islamic bonds) at 5.5%. The Sharif administration negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) to expand

trade liberalisation Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

, notably with

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, Iran, and Thailand, and an expansion of the FTA with Malaysia. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is discussing further extension of Sangla hill interchange with his federal Minister Ch

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is discussing further extension of Sangla hill interchange with his federal Minister Ch

According to the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), the quality of governance had 'marginally improved' during Nawaz's first year in power within an overall score of 44%. It scored highest in disaster-preparedness, merit-based recruitment, and foreign policy management, while it received the lowest scores on poverty alleviation and transparency. On 4 July 2013, the IMF and Pakistan reached a provisional agreement on a US$5.3 billion bailout package to bolster Pakistan's flagging economy and its perilously low foreign exchange reserves, which was contrary to an election promise not to take any more loans. On 4 September, IMF approved another $6.7 billion loan package over a three-year period. IMF demanded Pakistan conduct economic reforms, including privatising 31 state-owned companies. Business confidence in Pakistan reached a three-year high in May 2014 backed by increasing foreign reserves which crossed US$15 billion by mid-2014. In May 2014, IMF stated that inflation had dropped to 13% (compared to 25% in 2008), foreign reserves were in a better position and that the current account deficit had come down to 3% of GDP. ''

Standard & Poor's S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor's and informally known as S&P) is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities. S&P is cons ...

'' and '' Moody's Corporation'' changed Pakistan's long-term rating to 'stable outlook'. The

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inter ...

stated on 9 April 2014 that Pakistan's economy was at a turning point, with projected GDP growth approaching 4%, driven by manufacturing and service sectors, better energy availability, and early revival of investor confidence. In FY2015, industrial growth slowed due to power shortages, as Sharif's administration failed to make adequate reforms in energy, taxation, and public sector enterprises. On 3 May, ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...

'' gave Sharif's administration partial credit for the economy's new stability, having upheld its agreements with the IMF. Standard & Poor revised Pakistan's credit rating from 'stable' to 'positive', noting the government's efforts towards fiscal consolidation, improvement in external financing conditions, and stronger capital inflows. During a trip to Pakistan on 10 February 2016, World Bank Group's president

Jim Yong Kim Jim Yong Kim (; born December 8, 1959), also known as Kim Yong (/金墉), is an American physician and anthropologist who served as the 12th president of the World Bank from 2012 to 2019. A global health leader, Kim was formerly the chair o ...

applauded the economic policies of Nawaz's government. He claimed that Pakistan's economic outlook had become more stable. On 19 March, Nawaz approved tax incentives in an attempt to attract new automotive manufacturing plants to the country. In November 2016, the government announced that

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

was expected to start assembling cars in Pakistan by 2018. On 8 April 2016, following lobbying by international development groups, the government changed its methodology for measuring poverty. The poverty line was moved from to per adult per month, which increased the poverty ratio from 9.3% to 29.5%. A PILDAT survey claimed that the quality of governance had improved, though it was still weak for transparency.

Fred Hochberg Fred Philip Hochberg (born February 3, 1952) is an American businessman and civic leader. After nearly two decades as an executive, including five years as President at the Lillian Vernon Corporation, he then served in various leadership roles at ...

, head of the

Export–Import Bank of the United States The Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States federal government. Operating as a wholly owned federal government corporation, the bank "assists in financing and facilitatin ...

visited Pakistan on 14 April and said that he "sees a lot of opportunities to expand its exposure to Pakistan." On 9 May, the

's Pakistan Development Report stated that the current account was in a healthy position, but that Pakistan's export competitiveness has diminished due to protectionist policies, poor infrastructure, and high transaction costs for trade. Consequently, Pakistan's exports-to-GDP ratio had been declining for the last two decades. On 15 December 2016, Pakistan became a signatory of the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

's (OECD) Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, aimed at curbing tax evasion. In his 2016 book, ''The Rise and Fall of Nations'', Ruchir Sharma stated that Pakistan's economy was at a 'take-off' stage and the future outlook to 2020 was 'very good'. On 24 October 2016, months after the Sharif government concluded a US$6.4 billion three-year programmes, IMF managing director

Christine Lagarde Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (; née Lallouette, ; born 1 January 1956) is a French politician and lawyer who has been serving as President of the European Central Bank since 2019. She previously served as the 11th managing director of the ...

visited Pakistan, during which she maintained Pakistan was "out of the economic crisis". She added that continued efforts were needed to bring more people under taxation and to ensure that all paid their fair share. The 2017

Ease of doing business index The ease of doing business index was an index created jointly by Simeon Djankov, Michael Klein, and Caralee McLiesh, three leading economists at the World Bank Group. The academic research for the report was done jointly with professors Edward Gl ...

recognised Pakistan as one of the ten countries making the biggest improvements to business regulations. ChinaPakistanEconomicCorridor

Hundreds of Chinese trucks loaded with goods rolled into the Sost dry port in

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

on 1 November as the first shipment of the

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) (; ur, چین پاکستان اقتصادی راہداری) is a collection of infrastructure projects that are under construction throughout Pakistan beginning in 2013. Originally valued at $47 billi ...

. The government announced plans to restructure PIA, which sought to become more competitive by leasing newer and more efficient aircraft. PIA was split into two companies: a holding group would retain some billion in debt and excess personnel, and a "new" PIA would hold the lucrative landing rights and new aircraft. The government planned to sell a 26% stake in the new PIA to a strategic partner. In February 2016, Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) is to be converted into a public limited company as Pakistan International Airlines Company Limited (PIACL) to make way for privatisation, however, this trigged an eight-day union strike. On 23 December 2016, a Chinese consortium won the bid for a 40% stake in the PSX with an offer of US$85.5 million.

Communications and development

Upon assuming office, Nawaz launched the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) which constructed major projects to stimulate the economy. This included

Diamer-Bhasha Dam Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a concreted-filled gravity dam, in the preliminary stages of construction, on the River Indus between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan administered Kashmir. Its founda ...

Dasu Dam The Dasu Dam is a large hydroelectric gravity dam currently under construction on the Indus River near Dasu in Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is developed by Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), ...

, Faisalabad-Khanewal M-4 Motorway, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus Service and Lahore-Karachi Motorway. Nawaz also approved feasibility studies for numerous other projects. During FY2014–15, Nawaz's government announced additional PSDP funding from to billion. The government allocated billion of PSDP funds for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including the Lahore-Karachi Motorway. On 24 April 2014, mobile companies Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone and Zong won auctions for 3G and 4G mobile spectrum licenses, raising US$1.112 billion. Nawaz stated that billion will be collected in annual revenue from the licenses, while the technology would create millions of jobs in the service sector. Nawaz also launched the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, providing a billion fund for interest-free loans, skills development and provision of laptop computers.

Pakistan Vision 2025

In August 2014, the Sharif administration unveiled an ambitious programme to enhance exports to US$150 billion by 2025. According to the '' Daily Times'', the Vision 2025 is based on seven pillars: putting people first; developing human and social capital; achieving sustained, indigenous and inclusive growth; governance, institutional reform and modernisation of the public sector; energy, water and food security; private-sector-led growth and entrepreneurship, developing a competitive knowledge economy through value addition and modernisation of transportation infrastructure and greater regional connectivity.

Nuclear power policy

Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan

In November 2013, Nawaz broke ground on a US$9.59 billion nuclear power complex in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

, designed to produce 2200 MW of electricity. During the groundbreaking ceremony, Nawaz stated that Pakistan would construct six nuclear power plants during his term in office. He went on to say that Pakistan has plans to construct a total of 32 nuclear power plants by 2050, which will generate more than 40,000 MW. In February 2014, Nawaz confirmed to the IAEA that all future civilian nuclear power plants and research reactors will voluntarily be put under IAEA safeguards. Nawaz attended the

2014 Nuclear Security Summit The 2014 Nuclear Security Summit was a summit held in The Hague, the Netherlands, on March 24 and 25, 2014. It was the third edition of the conference, succeeding the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. The 2014 summit was attended by 58 world leader ...

, and stated that Pakistan was giving nuclear security the highest importance.

FATA reform

On 3 March 2017, Nawaz's cabinet approved a set of steps to be taken for the proposed merger of the

Federally Administered Tribal Areas , conventional_long_name = Federally Administered Tribal Areas , nation = Pakistan , subdivision = Autonomous territory , image_flag = Flag of FATA.svg , image_coat = File:Coat of arms ...

(FATA) with

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhw ...

, along with a 10-year billion development-reform package. Under the reform project, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the

will be extended to the FATA region.

National security and defence policy

On 9 September 2013, Nawaz proposed a civil-military partnership, and immediately reestablished the

with Sartaj Aziz as his National Security Advisor (NSA). Nawaz also reconstituted the Cabinet Committee on National Security (C²NS), with military representation in the political body. According to political scientist and civic-military relations expert Aqil Shah, Nawaz finally did exactly what former chairman joint chiefs

had called for in 1998. In September 2013, Nawaz announced that Pakistan would open unconditional talks with the Taliban, declaring them stakeholders rather than terrorists. The PML-N's conservative hardliners also chose to blame the US and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

for causing terrorism in Pakistan. However,

Pakistani Taliban The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...

's Supreme Council demanded a cease-fire, to also include the release of all imprisoned militants and the withdrawal of the

Pakistani military The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

from all tribal regions. Former and current government officials criticised Nawaz for not providing clear leadership on how to handle the more than 40 militant groups, many of them comprising violent Islamic extremists. On 15 September, just six days after Nawaz's proposal for talks with the Taliban, a roadside bomb killed

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sanaullah Khan, a lieutenant colonel and another soldier in the

Upper Dir Upper Dir District ( ps, بر دير ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The city of Dir is the district headquarters. Badogai Pass connects it to Utror. At the time of indepen ...

district near the Afghanistan border. Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the bombing. On the same day, seven more soldiers were killed in four separate attacks. In a press release, Chairman joint chiefs General

Khalid Shameem Wynne General Khalid Shameem Wynne ( ur, ; 28 August 1953 – 30 December 2017), was a four-star General in the Pakistan Army who served as the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee appointed in 2010 until retiring on 8 October 2013. ...

and chief of army staff General

Ashfaq Parvez Kayani General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (Urdu: ; born 20 April 1952), is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 8th Chief of Army Staff , being appointed on 29 November 2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf retired fro ...

, who had earlier warned Nawaz not to adopt a surrender strategy, publicly warned the government that the military would not allow the Taliban to set conditions for peace. General Kayani stated: "No-one should have any misgivings that we would let terrorists coerce us into accepting their terms." Seven members of the

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...

conducted a terrorist attack on a public school in the city of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

on 16 December, killing over 130 children in Pakistan's deadliest terrorist attack. In response to the attack, Nawaz – with consultation from all political parties – devised a 20-point National Action Plan which included continued execution of convicted terrorists, establishment of special military courts for two years and regulation of

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated ...

s. Based on the National Action Plan, the government made 32,347 arrests in 28,826 operations conducted across the country from 24 December 2014 to 25 March 2015. During the same period, Pakistan deported 18,855 Afghan refugees while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered 64 cases for money transfer through

Hawala Hawala or hewala ( ar, حِوالة , meaning ''transfer'' or sometimes ''trust''), also known as in Persian, and or in Somali, is a popular and informal value transfer system based on the performance and honour of a huge network of money ...

, arrested 83 people and recovered million. In total, 351 actionable calls were received on the anti-terror helpline and

National Database and Registration Authority The National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and autonomous agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan that regulates government databases and statistically manages the sensitive registra ...

verified 59.47 million . On 28 March 2016, a suicide attack by the

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (, "Assembly of the Free," abbreviated as JuA) was a terrorist organization that split away from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in August 2014. The group came to prominence after it claimed responsibility for the 2014 Wagah border su ...

at a park in Lahore killed 70 people on the evening of

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

. Analysts believed that Nawaz's desire to maintain stability in Punjab led him to turn a blind eye towards groups operating there. Following the attack, Pakistan detained more than 5,000 suspects and made 216 arrests.

Karachi operation

The Sharif government launched a ranger-led operation on 5 September 2013 in

, aimed at removing crime and terrorism from the metropolis. During the first phase, which lasted until 10 August 2015, rangers reported to have conducted 5,795 raids during which they had apprehended 10,353 suspects and recovered 7,312 weapons. Prominent among the raids were the 11 March raid on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters Nine Zero and the offices of Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). The first phase also saw a total of 826 terrorists, 334 target killers, and 296 extortionists arrested. The Rangers expanded their mandate to kidnappers, and arrested 82 abductors and secured the release of 49 captives. The report stated that targeted killing in the city had dropped by over 80%. On 23 August 2016, officials claimed that they had arrested 654 target killers affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) armed wing since 4 September 2013.

Operation Zarb-e-Azb

Negotiations with the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

collapsed after the execution of 23

Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps ( ur, , reporting name: FC), are a group of paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's borders with Afghanist ...

by the Taliban on 17 February 2014, and relations worsened with the Taliban's 2014 Jinnah International Airport attack. Operation Zarb-e-Azb was formally launched on 15 June 2014 after the Sharif administration prepared for a three-front offensive: isolating targeted militant groups, obtaining support from the political parties, and protecting civilians from reprisals. The

2014 Wagah border suicide attack On 2 November 2014, a suicide bombing took place at Wagah border following the daily border ceremony in Pakistan. The attack was claimed by three rival militant groups. At midnight of 9 January 2015, the FIA team led by special agents report ...

has been the deadliest retaliation against the operation so far.

Foreign policy

Neighbouring countries

Nawaz launched 'peaceful neighbourhood' initiative to improve Pakistan's ties with India,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is border ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Tu ...

and China. On 12 May 2014, Nawaz met Iranian President

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

amid tensions over the February kidnapping of five Iranian soldiers by extremists who took them into Pakistan. On 27 October 2016, Nawaz hosted the 15th ministerial meeting of

Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program is a program established in 1997 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to encourage economic cooperation among countries in Central Asia and nearby parts of Transcaucasia and South Asia. ...

(CAREC), and proposed an Open Skies Agreement between the countries.

China

Chinese Premier

Li Keqiang Li Keqiang (born 1 July 1955) is a Chinese politician who is the outgoing premier of China. An economist by profession, Li is head of China's executive branch as well as one of the leading figures behind China's Financial and Economic Affai ...

was the first world leader to visit Pakistan and congratulate Nawaz on his 2013 electoral victory. Upon return to Beijing, Li announced investment of US$31.5 billion in Pakistan, mainly in energy, infrastructure and a port expansion for

Gwadar Gwadar ( Balochi/ ur, ) is a port city with located on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite Oman. Gwadar is the 100th largest city of Pakistan, according to the 201 ...

, the terminus of the

. According to ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Internat ...

'', Sharif's government had charged the army with providing fool-proof security to Chinese officials in

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline ...

to address Beijing's concerns regarding investment in the province, which was to receive 38% of the funds. On 8 November 2014, Nawaz led a delegation to Beijing and signed agreements for Chinese investment reportedly worth about $46 billion. Nawaz also announced Pakistan would aid China it its fight against the

East Turkestan Islamic Movement The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) or the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM), formerly known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and other names, is a Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Western China. Its stated goals ar ...

. On 24 June 2015 and again on 1 April 2016 China blocked India's move in the UN to ban

Jaish-e-Mohammed Jaish-e-Mohammed ( ur, , literally "The Army of Muhammad", abbreviated as JeM) is a Pakistan-based: "The JEM is a Pakistan-based, militant Islamic group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in March 2000." Deobandi: "Deobandis like Masood Azhar ...

chief

Masood Azhar Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi is a radical Islamist and terrorist, being the founder and leader of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, active mainly in the Pakistani-administered portion of the Kashmir region. His actions a ...

; the Chinese action was in "consultation" with Pakistan. On 25 June 2016, Pakistan became a full member of

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and security organization. It is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eu ...

. On 4 September 2016, Pakistan's cabinet was given approval to negotiate a long-term defence agreement with China.

India

Handshake between Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif (cropped)

Nawaz launched talks with India to liberalize their trade relationship, and gained and an agreement of Non-Discriminatory Market Access on Reciprocal Basis (NDMARB) status for the two countries on 26 March 2014. However, ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' reported that Pakistan's military pressured Nawaz to stop trade liberalisation with India. Nawaz attended the 26 May 2014 inauguration of Narendra Modi as prime minister, the first time that a prime minister from one state attended the inauguration of their counterpart. They agreed to further cooperate on trade. In October 2014, 20 civilians were killed and thousands forced to flee their homes when Pakistani and Indian security forces began shelling in Kashmir, each side blaming the other for the incident. The following month, Nawaz blamed India for an inflexible approach towards resolving the

Kashmir dispute The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir, Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, with China playing a third-party role. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakista ...

. According to

Barkha Dutt Barkha Dutt is an Indian television journalist and author. She has been a reporter and news anchor at NDTV and Tiranga TV. She currently runs her own digital news channel called 'MoJo Story'. She is also an opinion columnist with ''The Hindu ...

during the 2015

SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...

Summit, Nawaz and Modi held a secret meeting. On 10 December 2015, during the Heart of Asia conference, Pakistan and India announced that they were resuming dialogue on outstanding issues, ending a two-year stalemate. On 1 April 2015, Modi made his first visit to Pakistan in a surprise stopover in

to meet Nawaz on his birthday. Modi and Nawaz held a brief meeting at Raiwind Palace. Modi also attended the wedding ceremony of Nawaz's granddaughter.

's Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced on 25 March 2016 that they had arrested an Indian naval intelligence officer working for

Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (abbreviated R&AW; hi, ) is the foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, ...

(RAW). Kulbushan Yadav was allegedly involved in financially supporting terrorists and also confessed to his involvement in unrest in

. The same day, India's Ministry of External Affairs stated that Yadav had had no involvement with the government since his early retirement from the Indian Navy. India also demanded consular access for him. On 29 March 2016, Sharif's government released a six-minute video of

Jadhav Jadhav is an Indian surname. Notable people with the name include: * Bharat Jadhav (born 1973), Indian theatre and film producer * Bhaskar Jadhav, Indian politician * Dhanaji Jadhav (1650–1708), warrior of the Maratha Empire * Kedar Jadhav (born ...

apparently confessing to the RAW's involvement in the country. On 1 April, Pakistan confirmed that security agencies had arrested several suspects believed to be working for RAW. Kashmir 2016

Relations between India and Pakistan escalated with the killing of

Burhan Wani Burhan Wani (19 September 1994 – 8 July 2016) was a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant organization and insurgent group of the Kashmir conflict. He had become a popular figure amongst the local Kashmiri populace, having ...

by Indian security forces on 8 July 2016. Anti-Indian

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

started in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley. Protesters defied curfew with attacks on security forces and public properties.^{0 1/sup> The unrest led to a standstill in bilateral relations. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician serving as the Defence Minister of India. He is currently the Deputy Leader of the House Lok Sabha. He is the former President of Bharatiya Janata Party. He has previously served as ...
accused Pakistan of backing unrest in Kashmir. Tensions reached a boiling point when militants attacked an army base in the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir and killed 18 soldiers. Indian army military operations head Lieutenant-General Ranbir Singh claimed that there was evidence the attackers were members of an Islamist militant group in Pakistan.

Addressing the UN General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Cur ...
on 22 September 2016, Nawaz demanded an independent inquiry and a UN fact-finding mission to investigate extrajudicial killing

An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whethe ...
and human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir

Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir range from mass killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual abuse to political repression and suppression of freedom of speech. The Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), ...
. India's junior foreign minister M. J. Akbar criticised Nawaz for glorifying Wani. Tensions further escalated with reports suggesting moblisation of military equipment by both sides.

Afghanistan

Nawaz greeted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on 15 November 2014 and pledged his support to the Afghan president over his attempt to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. ''Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera M ...
'' reported that "the leaders also pledged to begin a new era of economic co-operation, with Ghani saying three days of talks had ended 13 years of testy relations". The two countries also signed a trade deal aimed at doubling trade between the Kabul and Islamabad to US$5 billion by 2017, while also pledging to work together on a power import project and Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline. During the visit Nawaz and Ghani also watched a cricket match between the two countries. During June 2016, cross-border shootings between Afghan and Pakistani forces left three people dead after tensions escalated over Pakistan's construction of fences across the Durand Line

The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to ...
. On 20 June, Pakistan completed the construction of a trench along the border in Balochistan.

United States

Nawaz paid an official visit to Washington, D.C. from 20 to 23 October 2013. He and Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
committed to strengthening relations and advancing shared interests for a prosperous Pakistan. ''Voice of America

Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
'' reported that the US released more than US$1.6 billion in military and economic aid that was suspended when relations suffered over the covert raid that killed Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...
in 2011.

On Pakistan's request the United States temporarily stopped drone

Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone

Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to:

...
strikes in north-western Pakistan. In March 2016, as one of his foreign policy successes, the United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

The composition and pow ...
blocked a bid to derail the sale of F-16 Falcon

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
s to Pakistan by Senate Foreign Relations Committee

The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid pr ...
Chairman Bob Corker

Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Chair of the Senate Foreign Rela ...
, who continued to vow to block the use of US funds to finance the deal.

US Senator John McCain

John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
travelled to Pakistan on 26 July 2016 to discuss counterterrorism efforts in the region. In the ''Financial Times

The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', McCain called upon the US and Pakistani leaders not to "allow ambivalence and suspicion to fester", adding that "common interests in counterterrorism, nuclear security and regional stability are too important and too urgent". He also called upon the Obama administration

Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
to "make clear its enduring commitment to Pakistan's stability and economic growth." McCain also visited Miramshah

Mīrānshāh (Pashto and ur, ) or Mīrāmshāh () is a small town that is the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Miranshah lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley su ...
in North Waziristan

North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanist ...
.

Republican Congressmen Ted Poe and Dana Rohrabacher

Dana Tyrone Rohrabacher (; born June 21, 1947) is a former American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 2019. A Republican, he represented for the last three terms of his House tenure.

Rohrabacher ran for re ...
moved a bill in the US Congress on 21 September to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism

State-sponsored terrorism is terrorist violence carried out with the active support of national governments provided to violent non-state actors. States can sponsor terrorist groups in several ways, including but not limited to funding terrorist ...
. McCain assured former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari

Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...
that the bill would not pass, and that its sponsors represented a small minority.

Nawaz called president-elect Donald Trump

Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
on 1 December 2016 to congratulate him. The statement released by Nawaz's office quoted Trump calling Nawaz a "terrific guy", adding that Pakistan is a "fantastic country, fantastic place". Trump Tower

Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...
put out a statement saying that they "had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future." On 3 December, ''Dawn

Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
'' reported that a US National Defence Authorisation Act was set to be approved by the US Congress

The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
which would recognise Pakistan as a key strategic partner and pledge more than US$900 million in economic and other assistance to the country; half of that would be dependent on Pakistan's commitment to fighting all terrorist groups, including the Haqqani network

The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist group, built around the family of the same name, that has used asymmetric warfare in Afghanistan to fight against Soviet forces in the 1980s, and US-led NATO forces and the Islamic Republic of Afghanis ...
.

Europe

Nawaz visited London on 30 April 2014 and met David Cameron

David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
and other officials, and delivered a keynote address at the Pakistan Investment Conference. According to Cameron's staff, the leaders agreed to work together to support critical economic reforms for Pakistan, particularly to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio towards 15%, and welcomed the developing relationship between the Federal Board of Revenue

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) ( ur, ), formerly known as Central Board of Revenue (CBR), is a federal law enforcement agency of Pakistan that investigates tax crimes, suspicious accumulation of wealth, money-laundering make regulation of ...
and HM Revenue and Customs

, patch =
, patchcaption =
, logo = HM Revenue & Customs.svg
, logocaption =
, badge =
, badgecaption =
, flag =
, flagcaption =
, image_size =
, co ...
to support this. On 11 November 2014, Nawaz visited Berlin where he met with German Chancellor

The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
Angela Merkel

Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...
. According to Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
, during the meeting Nawaz argued for more German investment, particularly in the energy sector, but Merkel expressed wariness over the security situation in Pakistan.

In 2014, during the visit of Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu

Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...
, Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement on military cooperation. Shoygu held in-depth talks with Nawaz, who promised to promote multi-dimensional relations with Russia. The meeting came months after Russia had lifted an embargo on supplying weapons and military hardware to Pakistan, starting with Mil Mi-24

The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...
helicopters. As a sign of improving ties, Russian forces arrived in Pakistan on 23 September 2016 to participate in joint military exercises.

Muslim world

Nawaz is said to enjoy exceptionally close ties with senior members of the Saudi royal family

The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...
. ''Pakistan Today

''Pakistan Today'' is a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, published by Nawa Media Corporation from three Pakistani cities Lahore, Punjab; Karachi, Sindh; and Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory. The newspaper later launched a bu ...
'' reported on 2 April 2014 that Pakistan will sell JF-17 Thunder

The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder ( ur , جے ایف-17 گرج), or FC-1 ''Xiaolong'' (), is a lightweight, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautic ...
jets to Saudi Arabia, after the kingdom had given a grant of US$1.5 billion to Pakistan in early 2014.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud arrived in Pakistan on 15 February to meet Nawaz and vowed to enhance work between the two countries. Sharif travelled to Saudi Arabia for the last 10 days of Ramadan

, type = islam
, longtype = Religious
, image = Ramadan montage.jpg
, caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
. King Abdullah said on 26 July that Saudi Arabia would always stand by Pakistan, its leadership and people, after an hour-long meeting with Nawaz at his Riyadh

Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
. Nawaz also met Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, while Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King ...
referred to Pakistan as his second home.

''Al-Monitor

Al-Monitor ( ar, المونيتور) is a news website launched in February 2012 by the Arab American entrepreneur Jamal Daniel and based in Washington, DC, United States. Al-Monitor provides reporting and analysis from and about the Middle East. ...
'' reported on 15 March 2015 that the Salman of Saudi Arabia

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, سلمان بن عبد العزیز آل سعود, , ; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of Kin ...
wanted firm assurances from Nawaz that Pakistan would align itself with Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies against Iran

Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Tu ...
, especially in the proxy war underway in Yemen. Salman specifically wanted a Pakistani military contingent to deploy to the kingdom to defend the borders. Nawaz promised closer counter-terrorism and military co-operation but no troops for the immediate future. On 11 January 2016, ''Time'' stated that a high-level Iranian delegation including Adel al-Jubeir

Adel Al-Jubeir ( ar, عادل بن أحمد الجبير; born 1 February 1962) is a Saudi diplomat who is the former Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs and the current Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He is the second person not belon ...
and Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, translit=Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), colloquially known by his initials MBS or MbS, is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. ...
had travelled to Islamabad to seek Pakistan's inclusion in the 34-country "Islamic military alliance". However, Nawaz struck a more conciliatory tone, suggesting that Islamabad would mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran. On 19 January 2016, Nawaz and Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif

General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...
embarked on a peace mission to Riyadh and Tehran to reduce tensions which had escalated with the execution of Sheikh Nimr. On 16 March 2016, Zee News

Zee News is an Indian Hindi-language news channel owned by Subhash Chandra's Essel Group. It launched on 27 August 1999 and is the flagship channel of the Zee Media Corporation.

The channel has been involved in several controversies and h ...
claimed that Saudi Arabia was creating a military alliance of Islamic countries along the lines of the NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, and wished Pakistan to lead it.

Nawaz supported the Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain and in his visit to Saudi Arabia he reassured that he would "help devise a new battle plan for Saudi intervention in the country."

Personal life

Nawaz married Kulsoom Nawaz, who was also of Kashmiri descent, in April 1971. His brother 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 o ...
served as Chief Minister of Punjab province four times and is currently the prime minister of Pakistan, while his nephew Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is currently Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab

The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Punjab, which is located in Lahore, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of Pa ...
.
Nawaz's daughter Maryam Nawaz

Maryam Nawaz Sharif ( Punjabi and ; born 28 October 1973), also known as Maryam Safdar, is a Pakistani politician and the daughter of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif. She was initially involved in the family's philanthropic org ...
is the current Central Vice President of PML-N. Maryam is married to politician Muhammad Safdar Awan

Muhammad Safdar Awan (Hindko and ; born 19 January 1964) is a Pakistani politician and retired Pakistan Army officer who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2008 to May 2018.

He is married to the PMLN supremo Naw ...
. His other daughter, Asma Nawaz, is married to Ali Dar, son of Ishaq Dar, the former finance minister

A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.

A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
of Pakistan.

The personal residence of the Sharif family, Raiwind Palace, is located in Jati Umra, Raiwind, on the outskirts of Lahore. He also has a residence in 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 promi ...
, Saudi Arabia, known as the Sharif Villa, where he lived during his years in exile. His elder son, Hussain Nawaz, is a businessman based in Saudi Arabia and currently resides in Jeddah. His younger son, Hassan Nawaz, is also a businessman and lives in London.

Nawaz underwent open heart surgery

Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...
in May 2016 in London. It was his second open-heart operation. His deteriorating health forced him to undergo an open heart surgery only three days before the presentation of the country's annual budget. Many opposition leaders and the legal fraternity, including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, raised questions about a possible constitutional crisis in Pakistan. Chaudhry called for electing a new interim prime minister to avoid the crisis.

Public image

Jon Boone wrote in ''The Guardian

''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in 2013, that following his attempts to enact Sharia Law

Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...
in the late 1990s, Nawaz had adopted a more centrist position by seeking diplomatic and trade relations with India which encouraged support from left-leaning Pakistanis. In another column, ''The Guardian

''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described Nawaz's first two terms in the 1990s as authoritarian and clouded by allegations of corruption, but that "old foes and longstanding friends say Nawaz is a changed man" from when he originally entered politics "to defend family usinessinterests".

Tim Craig, writing in March 2016 for ''The Washington Post

''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', described Nawaz's move away from social conservatism

Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
as "traced to Sharif's ambitious economic agenda, the influence his 42-year-old daughter has over him, and his awareness that Pakistan remains the butt of jokes". Afrasiab Khattak summarized the shift by stating " awazknows extremism is not good for business". Nawaz's advisor Miftah Ismail

Miftah Ismail ( ur, مفتاح اسماعیل; born 23 July 1965) is a Pakistani political economist who served as the Federal Minister of Finance from April 2022 to September 2022. He had previously served in the same office, from April 201 ...
described him as "a very religious guy", adding however "he is perfectly okay with other people not being religious". Writing for ''The Express Tribune

''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Internat ...
'' in 2016, Fahd Hussain stated that Nawaz will likely will face "blowback from its natural allies among the clergy", adding that with "the bulk of the Punjab conservative voter emainingin the Nawaz camp", that Nawazis eyeing the "liberal, progressive, left-of-centre voters".

Leftist Senator Raza Rabbani claimed that Nawaz "has always had these rightwing leanings", adding that "the temptation was there in the past to appease his rightwing Islamist constituency". Mushahid Hussain Syed, a former member of Nawaz's cabinet, described Nawaz's religious leanings: "he is quite a good Muslim in terms of belief and basic rituals like prayer and going to Mecca" adding however, "in cultural terms he is quite relaxed. He likes music and movies and has a good sense of humour. He is not your average type of serious, sulking fundo." Mohammed Hanif, writing in 2013, claimed that "if Nawaz weren't from the dominant province 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 ...
, where most of the army elite comes from, if he didn't represent the trading and business classes of Punjab, he would still be begging forgiveness for his sins in Saudi".

Author Edward A. Gargan, writing in November 1991, described Nawaz's government as "bedeviled by gossip, barraged by accusations of venality, castigated by the opposition and threatened by a final rupture of cordiality with the United States". The same year Najam Sethi described Nawaz's government as "corrupt, absolutely, astronomically corrupt, including the prime minister". In 2009, ''The New York Times

''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that " Bhutto and her Pakistan Peoples Party were considered more amenable allies for Washington" adding that "more nationalistic and religiously oriented, awazand his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, have traditionally found common cause with the religious parties". Pervez Hoodbhoy

Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy (Urdu: ;;born 11 July 1950) is a Pakistani nuclear physicist and activist who serves as a professor at the Forman Christian College and previously taught physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University. Hoodbhoy is also a prominen ...
described Nawaz as "a reflection of Pakistani society" adding that "he is silent on what matters most: the insurgency. What we need is a leader." Celia W. Dugger, writing in 1999, described Sharif's Raiwind Palace as "walls paneled in silken fabrics and rococo chairs laden with so much gold leaf they looked like they belonged in the court of Louis XIV

, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ve ...
or a bordello", drawing comparison between Nawaz's lifestyle and that of the "Mughals

The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
".

Criticism

After his return to power in 2013, a protest movement led by Imran Khan

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
, Tahir-ul-Qadri

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri ( ur, ‎; born 19 February 1951) is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and former politician who founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

He was also a professor of international co ...
and supported by rival factions of the Muslim League, such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PLM-Q) and Awami Muslim League (AML), mounted pressure on the Sharif government. Khan demanded Nawaz's resignation over allegations that the 2013 general election was rigged. Nawaz claimed to have support from the majority of the parties in Parliament. PML-N claimed that the elections had been the most free and fair in the country's history. Nawaz was also criticised by his opponents for running a system of patronage

Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
in which relatives were appointed to key state positions such as his brother as Chief Minister, and other relatives as cabinet ministers.

''The Express Tribune

''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Internat ...
'' claimed on 20 April 2015 that Sharif's administration misled the International Monetary Fund

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glob ...
(IMF) over the tax charged on the issuance of bonus shares, as what should have been the largest source of income tax stood at a mere billion. The government had told the IMF that it levied a 10% tax, which would generate revenue equal to 0.1% of or billion.

Human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud was shot dead on 24 April 2015 in Karachi

Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
minutes after she attended a talk she had organised on Human rights violations in Balochistan. Activists and investigators alleged that she was killed for her activism and for being outspoken on various contentious topics, from extremism to state-sponsored abuses. The talk that Mahmud organised that night was to have been held at the Lahore University of Management Sciences

Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) () is a private research university, located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

In 1983, Syed Babar Ali, a renowned businessman in Pakistan, recognized the shortage of qualified managers in the country ...
, but the university cancelled it the day before under alleged pressure from government authorities. Nawaz officially condemned the killing but ''Dawn

Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
'' noted that there was a little chance her murderers would be brought to justice given the recent history of impunity among those who target the country's marginalised liberals.

Around 2,000 far-right protesters led by Sunni Tehreek staged a sit-in at D-Chowk in front of the parliament in Islamabad on 27 March 2016, causing a partial shutdown of the capital. The protestors demanded the implementation of Sharia

Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and th ...
in the country and declaring Mumtaz Qadri

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri (1985 – 29 February 2016), better known as Mumtaz Qadri (, ur, ), was the assassin of Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando of the Elite Police and, at the time of the assassination, a member ...
a martyr. The protestors burned cars and a public transit station and injured journalists and bystanders. The government called in the army to enforce order. By 29 March the crowd had shrunk to 700 protestors, and the protest ended on 30 March after the government promised not to amend the blasphemy laws.

On 7 April 2016, ''The Express Tribune

''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Internat ...
'' claimed that Nawaz's multibillion-rupee health insurance plan seemed to be failing because of poor planning, claiming that the basic health infrastructure doesn't allow for such a plan.

Imran Khan

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
began mobilising workers on 29 October 2016 to lockdown Islamabad

Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, demanding Nawaz's resignation and a corruption inquiry. In response, the Sharif government placed a citywide ban on gatherings and arrested hundreds of opposition activists. The government also arrested scores of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thr ...
workers and closed the motorway leading from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhw ...
. On 1 November, Khan ceased protests after the Supreme Court

A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions ...
said it would form a judicial commission to probe allegations stemming from the "Panama Papers" leaks about the Sharif family's offshore wealth. In the first week of January, four Pakistani activists known on social media for their secular leftist views went missing.

''The Economist

''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...
'', writing in January 2017, criticised Nawaz's spending on infrastructure, explaining that it sat unused as "the economic boom it was meant to trigger has never arrived." Regarding the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) (; ur, چین پاکستان اقتصادی راہداری) is a collection of infrastructure projects that are under construction throughout Pakistan beginning in 2013. Originally valued at $47 billi ...
, the magazine wrote that "critics fear the country will struggle to pay back the debt, especially if foreign-exchange earnings from exports continue to dwindle" further adding that "It may not concern Mr. Sharif unduly if the next generation of roads is as deserted as the last."

Wealth and conglomerates

The growth of Pakistan's industry, which occurred under President Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced ...
during the 1960s,
was destroyed by the nationalisation program instituted by Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and Politician, statesman who served as ...
, to halt capital flight

Capital flight, in economics, occurs when assets or money rapidly flow out of a country, due to an event of economic consequence or as the result of a political event such as regime change or economic globalization. Such events could be an increa ...
from the country to Eastern Europe. This program included nationalisation 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 many other large enterprises.

Although the steel mill was returned to the Sharif family in 1980, havoc had already wrought. In 2011, Nawaz's assets were worth Rs 166 million, which increased to Rs 1.82 billion by 2013. In 2012 his net income was Rs. 12.4 million ( $1.24 million). He was one of five billionaires elected to Pakistan's National Assembly

In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
in 2013. In 2015, his declared assets slightly decreased to billion ( $17.5 Million). As of 2017 his net worth is over billion.

2016 Panama Papers leak

According to the Panama Papers

The Panama Papers ( es, Papeles de Panamá) are 11.5 million leaked documents (or 2.6 terabytes of data) that were published beginning on April 3, 2016. The papers detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 ...
, documents leaked in 2016 from law firm Mossack Fonseca

Mossack Fonseca & Co. () was a Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider.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 o ...
, they link in-laws of Shehbaz Sharif and children of Nawaz Sharif to numerous offshore companies.

On 15 April 2016, the government announced an investigation by an inquiry commission of all Pakistanis named in the documents. Opposition politicians said a judge, not a retired judge, should investigate. Various judges recused themselves. In addition, on 19 April, army chief General Raheel Sharif

General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...
warned that across-the-board accountability was needed.

The court announced its decision on 28 July 2017 and disqualified Nawaz from holding public office, stating that he had been dishonest in not disclosing his employment in the Dubai-based Capital FZE company in his nomination papers. The court also ordered National Accountability Bureau

The National Accountability Bureau ( ur, ; abbreviated NAB) is an autonomous and constitutionally established federal institution responsible to build efforts against corruption and prepare critical national economic intelligence assessments ...
to file a reference against Nawaz and his family on corruption charges.

In 2018, the Pakistani Supreme Court ruled in '' Sami Ullah Baloch v. Abdul Karim Nousherwani'' that Nawaz would be disqualified from holding public office for life due to his involvement in the Panama Papers case

The Panama Papers case (officially titled ''Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi v. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif''), or the Panamagate case, was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan that disqualified incumbent Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz ...
of 2017. On 6 July 2018, the Federal Judicial Complex of Pakistan sentenced Nawaz to ten years in prison. Nawaz's daughter Maryam Nawaz

Maryam Nawaz Sharif ( Punjabi and ; born 28 October 1973), also known as Maryam Safdar, is a Pakistani politician and the daughter of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif. She was initially involved in the family's philanthropic org ...
and her husband Safdar Awan were given prison sentences of seven years and one year, respectively. The two were subsequently arrested on their arrival in Lahore on 13 July and imprisoned in the Adiala Jail. Nawaz and Maryam were also fined £2 million and £8 million, respectively.

Reports claimed that Nawaz suffered four angina

Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease.

Angina is typically the result of obstruc ...
attacks and his family complained that the Imran Khan government was not allowing him time for medical treatment. The Islamabad High Court

The Islamabad High Court is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts:

* Islamabad District Court (East)
* Islamabad District Court (West)
Justice Aamer F ...
(IHC) granted him bail on humanitarian grounds in October 2019, and Nawaz went to London for medical treatment. Later in March, he was granted bail for a period of six weeks by the Supreme Court to continue pursuing his health treatment. After failing to return to Pakistan when his bail expired, the IHC declared him an absconder. He currently faces non-bailable arrest warrants for the Al-Azizia corruption case.

Eponymous entities

* Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture
* Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering & Technology
* Nawaz Sharif Medical College

See also

* List of international prime ministerial trips made by Nawaz Sharif

References

Further reading

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External links

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