Shahbaz Sharif
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Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''
Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd
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 Paki ...
, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of 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 politics, centre-right and Liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Teh ...
(PML-N). Previously in his political career, he served as the Chief Minister of Punjab three times, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister 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 ...
. Shehbaz was elected to the
Provincial Assembly of the Punjab The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani provinces, Pakistani province of Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, which is located in Lahore, the provincial capital. It was established under ...
in 1988 and to the
National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...
in 1990. He was again elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1993 and named
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 ...
. He was elected as chief minister of Pakistan's most populous 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 ...
, for the first time on 20 February 1997. After the
1999 Pakistani coup d'état The 1999 military takeover in Pakistan was a bloodless ''coup d'état'' initiated by the military staff at the Joint Staff HQ working under Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Pervez Musharraf. The instigators seized con ...
, Shehbaz along with his family spent years of
self-exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
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 fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, returning to Pakistan in 2007. Shehbaz was appointed Chief Minister for a second term after the PML-N's victory in Punjab province in the
2008 Pakistani general election 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
. He was elected as Chief Minister of Punjab for the third time in the 2013 general election and served his term until his party's defeat in the 2018 general election. During his tenure as chief minister, Shehbaz enjoyed a reputation as a highly competent and diligent administrator. He initiated ambitious infrastructure projects in Punjab and was noted for his efficient governance. Shehbaz was nominated as the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N after his brother,
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...
, was disqualified from holding office in the wake of 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 ...
. He was nominated as the Leader of the Opposition after the 2018 election. In December 2019, the
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 ...
(NAB) froze 23 properties belonging to Shehbaz and his son, Hamza Sharif, accusing them of money laundering. On 28 September 2020, NAB arrested Shehbaz at
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 in th ...
and indicted him on charges of money laundering. He was incarcerated pending trial. On 14 April 2021, Lahore High Court released him on bail in money laundering reference. Amid the 2022 Pakistani political crises, he was elected as Prime Minister on 11 April 2022 after the
no-confidence motion against Imran Khan In April 2022, a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan led to his removal as the prime minister of Pakistan. Based largely on the Westminster system of legislature, the prime minister commands confidence of the majority of the lower house ...
.


Family and personal life


Early life and education

Shehbaz was born on 23 September 1951 into a Punjabi-speaking Kashmiri family in
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. ...
,
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 ...
, Pakistan. His father,
Muhammad Sharif Mian Muhammad Sharif ( Punjabi, ur, ;18 November 1919 – 19 October 2004) was a Pakistani businessman who is known as the co-founder of Ittefaq Group and founder of Sharif Group. Two of his three sons, Nawaz and Shehbaz became Prime Mini ...
, 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 (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of ...
in Kashmir for business, and eventually 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 dist ...
, 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 ...
. Following the
partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
and Pakistan's independence in 1947, his parents migrated from Amritsar to Lahore. He attended
St. Anthony High School, Lahore , motto_translation = Knowledge with Virtue , established = , type = Private pre-school, primary, high school and college , gender = Boys , religion = Catholicism , denomination = , patron = St. Anthony of Padua , affiliations = , ...
. Shehbaz received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Government College University, Lahore. After graduation, he joined his family-owned
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. ...
. He was elected president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 1985.


Family

He has two brothers,
Abbas Sharif Mian Abbas Sharif (4 January 1953 – 11 January 2013) was a Pakistani politician and Tablighi Jamaat missionary who was the Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 1993 to 1997. He was the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz ...
and
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...
. Nawaz is a three-time elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. His sister-in-law,
Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif Begum Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif (Punjabi, ur, ; 29 March 1948– 11 September 2018) was a Pakistani politician who had been the first lady of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms; from 1990 to 1993, 1997 to 1999 and then from 2013 to 2017. Sh ...
, was the First Lady of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. Shehbaz married Nusrat Shehbaz in 1973. They had four children: Salman,
Hamza Hamza ( ar, همزة ') () is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, representing the glottal stop . Hamza is not one of the 28 "full" letters and owes its existence to historical inconsistencies in the standard writing system. It is derived from ...
and twin sisters, Javeria and Rabia. In 2003, Shehbaz married his second wife
Tehmina Durrani Tehmina Durrani ( ur, ; born 18 February 1953) is a Pakistani author, artist, activist on women's and children's rights, and the current First Lady of Pakistan being married to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Her first book, "My Feudal Lord" ...
. He lives at his ancestral home in Lahore,
Raiwind Palace The Sharif family ( ur, شریف خاندان) is a political family from Pakistan, based in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. They belong to the Bhat Kashmiris, Kashmiri tribe, which is a large community living in many districts o ...
.


Wealth

Shehbaz is a businessman by profession and jointly 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. In 2013, it was noted that Shehbaz is wealthier than his elder brother Nawaz with ().


Early political career

Shehbaz began his political career after getting elected to the
Provincial Assembly of 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 Paki ...
from Constituency PP-122 (Lahore-VII) as a candidate of
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 ...
(JI) in 1988 general election. He secured 22,372 votes and defeated a candidate of
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 ...
(PPP). However his term prematurely ended in 1990 when the assemblies were dissolved. He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-124 (Lahore-IX) as a candidate of IJI in 1990 general election. He received 26,408 votes and defeated a candidate of
Pakistan Democratic Alliance 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 ...
(PDA). In the same election, he was elected to the
National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...
from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of IJI. He secured 54,506 votes and defeated
Jehangir Bader Jehangir Bader (Urdu: جہانگیر بدر) was a Pakistani politician and member of Senate of Pakistan, he served as Chairperson-Senate Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. Affiliated with Pakistan Peoples Party since its inception, Jehangir ...
. He vacated the Provincial Punjab Assembly seat to retain his National Assembly seat. His term prematurely ended in 1993 when the assemblies were dissolved. He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of
Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ( ur, , translit=Pākistān Muslim Līg (Nūn) PML(N) or PML-N) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Pakistan. Alongside the Pakistan Teh ...
(PML-N) in 1993 general election. He received 28,068 votes and defeated a candidate of PPP. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of PML-N. He secured 55,867 votes and defeated
Yousuf Salahuddin Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning "YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name ...
. He vacated the National Assembly seat and retained his Provincial Punjab Assembly seat. Shortly after the election, he was elected Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. During his tenure as leader of the opposition, he remained in the United Kingdom for some years due for medical treatment. In his absence,
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi (Urdu, pa, ; born 1 November 1945) is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Punjab and the President of Pakistan Muslim League (Q), a conservative centrist to centre-right-nationali ...
was made acting leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly. His term as Member of the Punjab Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition prematurely ended in November 1996 when the assemblies were dissolved.


Chief minister of Punjab


First term as Chief Minister of Punjab

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of PML-N in 1997 general election. He received 25,013 votes and defeated a candidate of PPP. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of PML-N. He secured 47,614 votes and defeated
Hanif Ramay Muhammad Hanif Ramay ( ur, ; 1930–2006) was an internationally renowned intellectual, painter, journalist and former Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab, and he was among the founding fathers of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He was al ...
. He was elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab for the first time and was sworn in as 13th Chief Minister of Punjab on 20 February 1997. During his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab, he was praised for his good governance in the province because of his focus on health, education, agriculture and industrial sectors. He undertook several development projects in Lahore and launched a crackdown on criminals across the province to maintain law and order in the province. He held his office until 12 October 1999 when was removed from the post of Chief Minister in the
1999 Pakistani coup d'état The 1999 military takeover in Pakistan was a bloodless ''coup d'état'' initiated by the military staff at the Joint Staff HQ working under Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Pervez Musharraf. The instigators seized con ...
. Following the coup he was imprisoned. In December 2000, he along with his immediate family members was exiled forcibly to
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 fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
following the request 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), an ...
. While in exile in Saudi Arabia, Shehbaz was elected as the President of PML-N in August 2002 and moved to the United Kingdom in mid-2003 for medical treatment.


Sabzazar case

In 1999, a complainant Saeeduddin lodged FIR and accused Shehbaz of allowing the Sabzazar police, as the Chief Minister of the Punjab, to kill his son along with other men in a fake encounter. In the encounter, his two sons and three other people were killed by the police. In 2003, an anti-terrorism court summoned Shehbaz and five others accused in alleged extrajudicial killings in 1998. He was in the exile at that time and failed to show-up to the court. Later, the court issued an arrest warrant for Shehbaz. In 2004, Shehbaz attempted to return to Pakistan to appear before the court, but was forcibly deported back to Saudi Arabia. In August 2007, 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 a ...
gave its verdict which allowed Sharif brothers to return to Pakistan. In September 2007, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan ordered police to arrest Shehbaz based on a 2003 arrest warrant. He later got bail from anti-terrorism court. Shehbaz denied ordering the alleged killings and said the charges against him were politically motivated. He further said that in 2004 he had landed at the Lahore Airport wanting to appear before the court, but was sent back to Saudi Arabia by the government in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court. In 2008, he was acquitted by the Anti-Terrorism Court in the ''Sabzazar case''.


Second term as Chief Minister of Punjab

He was re-elected as the President of PML-N for a second term in August 2006 and returned to Pakistan along with Nawaz Sharif in November 2007. Shehbaz was not allowed to take part in the 2008 general election due to the charges of murder. In 2008, Sharif was acquitted in the 1998 extrajudicial killings case. Shehbaz was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab unopposed from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II) as a candidate of PML-N in by-polls held in June 2008. He was re-elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab unopposed after securing 265 votes. In June 2008 he contested for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from Constituency PP-10 (Rawalpindi-X), while holding the Assembly seat from Constituency PP-48 (Bhakkar-II). He was elected unopposed but later he resigned from this seat after controversy developed over his eligibility to hold office of Chief Ministership. His second term as Chief Minister lasted until 25 February 2009, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared him ineligible to hold public office which took away his seat in the Punjab Assembly, and thereby removed him from office as Chief Minister. On 1 April 2009, a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision of the apex court, in which Shehbaz was disqualified from holding public office. As a result, Shehbaz returned to office as Chief Minister.


Third term as Chief Minister of Punjab

Shehbaz was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from three Constituencies PP-159 (Lahore-XXIII), PP-161 (Lahore-XXV) and PP-247 (Rajanpur-I) – as a candidate of PML-N in 2013 general election. In the same election, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-129 (Lahore-XII) as candidate of PML-N. Sharif opted to retain his Provincial Assembly seat PP-159 (Lahore-XXIII) and was re-elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab for the third time unopposed after securing 300 votes in the 371-members Provincial Assembly. In 2016, Shehbaz was elected unopposed as the president of Punjab chapter of PML-N in intra-party elections. On 29 July 2017, Shehbaz was named leader of the PML-N, and hence Prime Minister-designate of Pakistan, following the disqualification of outgoing Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...
after 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 ...
decision. However, Shehbaz could not be sworn in immediately because he was not a member of the National Assembly. As a result,
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ( ur, ; born 27 December 1958) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 21st prime minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. Abbasi is the senior vice president of the Pakiatan Muslim League ...
was made interim Prime Minister of Pakistan for 45 days, presumably giving Shehbaz enough time to enter the legislature via a by-election. After Abbasi's election as Prime Minister of Pakistan, however, it was reported that he was likely to continue as Prime Minister for the next ten months until the 2018 general election due to the reluctance of Shehbaz Sharif to leave the post of Chief Minister of Punjab. Though he was not made the leader of PML-N over differences. Reportedly, Shehbaz was offered to become Prime Minister of Pakistan by the establishment several times previously but never accepted. In December 2017, during a party meeting between the senior members of PML-N, Nawaz named Shehbaz as candidate of the party for the office of Prime Minister in the upcoming June 2018 general election, saying that "Shahbaz had never disappointed him or the party, and had risen to prominence because of his hard work and performance." On 27 February 2018, Shehbaz was appointed as the interim President of the PML-N. On 13 March, he was elected as the President of the PML-N unopposed. On 7 June 2018, Shehbaz was succeeded by
Hasan Askari Rizvi Hassan Askari Rizvi ( ur, ) ( SI), is a Pakistani political scientist and military analyst who served as caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan in 2018. He is noted for his work in comparative politics, nuclear weapons, and country' ...
as caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab.


Leader of the Opposition

He was elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency NA-132 (Lahore-X) in
2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Wednesday, 25 July 2018 to elect the members of 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...
. In the same election, he was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency PP-164 (Lahore-XXI) and PP-165 (Lahore-XXII). Following his successful election, he abandoned his Punjab seats in favour of the National assembly seat. On 16 August, he was nominated by PML-N for the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan. On 17 August 2018, he received 96 votes and lost the office to Imran Khan. The same day, he was nominated for the office of
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 ...
in the National Assembly by one 111 Members of the National Assembly. On 20 August 2018, he was notified as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. In his capacity as Leader of Opposition, he also served a
Chairman Public Accounts Committee
from 22 December 2018 till 28 November 2019. He resigned from the post and
Rana Tanveer Hussain Rana Tanveer Hussain (; born 1 October 1949) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly between 1985 and May 2018. He served as ...
succeeded him.


Money laundering cases

On 28 September 2020, Shehbaz was arrested by the
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 ...
on charges of laundering over million ( million) in a systematic scheme involving close associates and family members. The Bureau had previously frozen 23 different properties belonging to Sharif, his son, and other family members, claiming that these assets were acquired beyond known sources of income. The NAB alleges that the Shehbaz Sharif family used fake transactions to receive foreign funds, with the transactions being made through a company owned by Sharif's son-in-law, Haroon Yousaf. Shehbaz remained incarcerated pending trial. He was temporarily released on parole to attend his mother's funeral prayers in November 2020. On 14 April 2021, he was released on bail in a money laundering reference by Lahore High court.


Prime Minister of Pakistan

On 10 April 2022, Sharif was nominated as candidate for Prime Minister by opposition parties following a
vote of no confidence 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 mana ...
in incumbent Prime Minister Imran Khan after the 2022 Pakistani constitutional crisis. He was elected
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
on 11 April 2022. He took the oath of office on the same day, administered by the Chairman of the Senate,
Sadiq Sanjrani Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani ( ur, ; born 14 April 1978) is a Pakistani politician who is from Balochistan and is the 8th and current Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan. He took his oath of office as a Member and Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan o ...
, acting for President
Arif Alvi Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi (; born 29 July 1949) is a Pakistani dentist and politician currently serving as the 13th President of Pakistan, in office since 9 September 2018. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2 ...
, who was on medical leave after complaining of “discomfort”.


Daily Mail defamation case

On July 14, 2019, The
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
published a news with the headline: "Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims? According to the report, Shehbaz Sharif stole aid funds from the UK's
Department for International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...
(DFID) following the 2005 earthquake. It was written by Daily Mail journalist David Rose. Investigations have shown that the UK donated more than £500 to the earthquake victims in Pakistan through the DFID, a UK government organisation. David Rose claims that former chief minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif used the aid funds to send one million pounds through money laundering to his frontman Aftab Mehmood, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, who then gave the money to Shahbaz Sharif's family. Shehbaz Sharif and his family allegedly stole British citizens' tax relief funds, according to news reports. The Daily Mail also made reference to a number of Shehbaz Sharif's British government officials. Salman Shahbaz the son of Shehbaz Sharif later refuted this information.


Rejection from DFID

A DFID representative referred to the reports as "baseless" and "fabricated" on the organization's website, and in January 2020, Shahbaz Sharif filed a claim for damages against the
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
and its reporter David Rose in the
Royal Court of Justice The Bhutanese Royal Court of Justice ( Dzongkha: དཔལ་ལྡན་འབྲུག་པའི་དྲང་ཁྲིམས་ལྷན་སྡེ་; Wylie ''Dpal-ldan 'Brug-pai Drang-khrims Lhan-sde''; Palden Drukpa Drangkhrim Lhende) ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.


Court hearings

According to court documents,
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
took almost three years to submit a defence of Rose's story. On April 20, 2020, Justice Nicklin issued the initial order for the listing hearing window running from April 21, 2020, to July 31, 2020. On May 7, 2020, Justice Nicklin issued a second ruling that extended the due dates. On October 20, 2020, the justice issued the first order, merging the claims of Shehbaz and his son-in-law Yousaf. On January 28, 2021, Justice Nicklin issued another order pertaining to the preliminary issue trial. The verdict and order were delivered on February 5, 2021. The judge ruled at the meaning hearing at the
London High Court The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...
in favour of
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz 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 Party ...
(PML-N) President Shehbaz and his son-in-law. Justice Nicklin determined that the
Mail on Sunday ''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...
's article carried the highest level of defamatory meaning for both Shehbaz and Yousaf. On February 18, 2021, he issued the directive with relation to certain deadlines. On March 15, 2022, The Daily Mail filed the defence. On March 17, 2022, Master Thornett issued the directive to file the defense. On June 23 and September 20, 2022, he then issued the orders to extend the deadline for filing the defence. Following negotiations to resolve the dispute after March 2022 between Daily Mail and PM Shehbaz, it was made apparent to the premier's legal counsel that the publication will issue an apology and take down the item under his conditions. On September 26, 2022, Justice Nicklin issued an order and scheduled a joint case management meeting for November 9. Three days prior to this hearing, Shahbaz pulled his request for a delay in favor of a full trial in a shrewd political move. According to the regulations, the court was not informed that the lawyers for Daily Mail had been secretly negotiating with Shahbaz's lawyers for several months, proposing to apologies. Shahbaz Sharif was persuaded by his legal staff that there was no use in submitting more paperwork as the paper had already agreed to apologies and remove the defamatory and misleading piece.


Daily Mail apology

Daily Mail publishers and Shehbaz's lawyers signed an agreement of settlement with Tomlin Order in the second week of December 2022 after which ''Daily Mail'' removed the defamatory article and apologized to the prime minister and his son-in-law. The ANL has promised it will never repeat these false allegations at any forum and has already worked with Google to remove all articles carrying ''Daily Mail’s'' article.


See also

*
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 the ...
* List of international prime ministerial trips made by Shehbaz Sharif


Book

*''ʻAzm o himmat kī dāstān'' (عزم و همت كى داستان; "A tale of resolve and courage"), Lāhore : Sharīf Publīcations, 2000, 72 p. History and struggle of business endeavours of the
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 the ...
.


References


External links

* * , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharif, Shehbaz 1951 births Living people Prime Ministers of Pakistan Shehbaz Pakistani exiles Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993 Punjab MPAs 1988–1990 Punjab MPAs 1993–1996 Punjab MPAs 1997–1999 Punjab MPAs 2008–2013 Punjab MPAs 2013–2018 Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023 Chief Ministers of Punjab, Pakistan Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent Presidents of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) Pakistan Muslim League (N) MNAs Pakistan Muslim League (N) MPAs (Punjab) Pakistani expatriates in Saudi Arabia Pakistani expatriates in the United Kingdom Leaders of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab Leaders of the Opposition (Pakistan) Politicians from Lahore Punjabi people St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Pakistani Sunni Muslims