Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms.
176 Facts About Nawaz Sharif
2.
Nawaz Sharif is the longest-serving prime minister of Pakistan, having served a total of more than 9 years across three tenures.
3.
Nawaz Sharif is the elder brother of Shehbaz Sharif, who became the prime minister of Pakistan in 2022.
4.
In 1981, Nawaz Sharif was appointed by President Zia as the minister of finance for the province of Punjab.
5.
In 1990, Nawaz Sharif led the conservative Islamic Democratic Alliance and became the 12th prime minister of Pakistan.
6.
Nawaz Sharif returned to the premiership after the Pakistan Muslim League was elected in 1997, 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.
7.
In 2017, Nawaz Sharif was removed from office by the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding revelations from the Panama Papers case.
8.
In 2018, the Pakistani Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif from holding public office, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison by an accountability court.
9.
Nawaz Sharif was born in Lahore, Punjab, on 25 December 1949.
10.
Nawaz Sharif's father, Muhammad Sharif, was an upper-middle-class businessman and industrialist whose family had emigrated from Anantnag in Kashmir for business.
11.
Nawaz Sharif's father followed the teachings of the Ahl-i Hadith.
12.
Nawaz Sharif's family owns Ittefaq Group, a multimillion-dollar steel conglomerate, and Sharif Group, a conglomerate with holdings in agriculture, transport and sugar mills.
13.
Nawaz Sharif has two younger brothers: Shehbaz Sharif and the late Abbas Sharif, both politicians by profession.
14.
Nawaz Sharif graduated from the Government College University with an art and business degree and then received a law degree from the Law College of Punjab University in Lahore.
15.
Nawaz Sharif suffered financial losses when his family's steel business was appropriated under the nationalisation policies of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
16.
Nawaz Sharif entered politics as a result, initially focused on regaining control of the steel plants.
17.
In 1976, Nawaz Sharif joined the Pakistan Muslim League, a conservative front rooted in the Punjab province.
18.
In May 1980, Ghulam Jilani Khan, the recently appointed military governor of Punjab and a former Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence, was seeking new urban leaders; he quickly promoted Nawaz Sharif, making him finance minister.
19.
In 1981, Nawaz Sharif joined the Punjab Advisory Council under Khan.
20.
Zia-ul-Haq agreed to return the steel industry to Nawaz Sharif, who convinced the general to denationalise and deregulate industries to improve the economy.
21.
Nawaz Sharif invested his wealth in Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Arab countries to rebuild his steel empire.
22.
Nawaz Sharif built ties with the senior army generals who sponsored his government.
23.
Nawaz Sharif maintained an alliance with General Rahimuddin Khan, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
24.
Nawaz Sharif had close ties with Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul, the Director-General of ISI.
25.
Khan beautified Lahore, extended military infrastructure, and silenced political opposition, while Nawaz Sharif expanded economic infrastructure to benefit the army, his own business interests, and the people of Punjab.
26.
The IJI gained a majority in Punjab, and Nawaz Sharif was re-elected as the chief minister.
27.
In December 1989, Nawaz Sharif decided to remain in the provincial Punjab Assembly rather than hold a seat in the National Assembly.
28.
Nawaz Sharif became the 12th prime minister of Pakistan on 1 November 1990, succeeding Benazir Bhutto.
29.
Nawaz Sharif had a majority in the assembly and ruled with considerable confidence, having disputes with three successive army chiefs.
30.
Nawaz Sharif had campaigned on a conservative platform and vowed to reduce government corruption.
31.
Nawaz Sharif introduced an economy based on privatisation and economic liberalisation to reverse the nationalisation by Zulfikar Bhutto, notably for banks and industries.
32.
Nawaz Sharif legalised foreign money exchange to be transacted through private money exchangers.
33.
Nawaz Sharif improved the nation's infrastructure and spurred the growth of digital telecommunication.
34.
Nawaz Sharif continued the simultaneous Islamization and conservatism of Pakistan society, a policy begun by Zia.
35.
Nawaz Sharif extended membership of Economic Cooperation Organization to all Central Asian Muslim countries, to unite them into a Muslim Bloc.
36.
Nawaz Sharif included environmentalism in his government platform, and established the Environmental Protection Agency in 1997.
37.
Nawaz Sharif's government criticised Iraq for invading the fellow Muslim country, which strained Pakistan's relationships with Iraq.
38.
Nawaz Sharif raised the issue of Kashmir in international forums and worked toward a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan to curb the rampant trading of illicit drugs and weapons across the border.
39.
Nawaz Sharif challenged former Chief of Army Staff General Mirza Aslam Beg over the 1991 Gulf War.
40.
Nawaz Sharif had campaigned on a conservative platform and after assuming office announced his economic policy under the National Economic Reconstruction Programme.
41.
Unemployment had limited Pakistan's economic growth and Nawaz Sharif believed that only privatisation could solve this problem.
42.
Nawaz Sharif introduced an economy based on privatisation and economic liberalisation, notably for banks and industries.
43.
Nawaz Sharif initiated several large-scale projects to stimulate the economy, such as the Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project.
44.
Nawaz Sharif'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.
45.
Opponents accused Nawaz Sharif of using political influence to build factories for himself and his business, for expanding the Armed Forces' secretive industrial conglomerate and bribing generals.
46.
In 1991, Nawaz Sharif founded and authorised the Pakistan Antarctic Programme under the scientific directions of National Institute of Oceanography, with the Pakistan Navy's Weapons Engineering Division, and first established the Jinnah Antarctic Station and Polar Research Cell.
47.
On 28 July 1997, Nawaz Sharif declared 1997 a year of science in Pakistan and personally allotted funds for the 22nd INSC College on Theoretical Physics.
48.
In 1999, Nawaz Sharif signed the executive decree, declaring 28 May as the National Science Day in Pakistan.
49.
Nawaz Sharif made the nuclear weapons and energy programme one of his top priorities.
50.
Nawaz Sharif expanded the nuclear energy program, and continued an atomic programme while following a policy of deliberate nuclear ambiguity.
51.
In 1993, Nawaz Sharif established the Institute of Nuclear Engineering to promote his policy for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
52.
Nawaz Sharif suffered a major loss of political support from the co-operatives societies scandal.
53.
Nawaz Sharif had developed serious issues of authority with conservative President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who had raised Nawaz Sharif to prominence during the Zia dictatorship.
54.
Nawaz Sharif refused to accept this act and raised a challenge at the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
55.
In July 1993, under pressure from the armed forces, Nawaz Sharif resigned under an agreement that removed President Khan from power.
56.
Bhutto found it difficult to act effectively in the face of opposition from Nawaz Sharif, and faced problems in her political stronghold of Sindh Province from her younger brother Murtaza Bhutto.
57.
Nawaz Sharif organised strikes throughout Pakistan in September and October 1994.
58.
Nawaz Sharif had formed an alliance with Altaf Hussain of the MQM which fell apart following the assassination of Hakim Said.
59.
Nawaz Sharif then removed the MQM from parliament and assumed control of Karachi while MQM was forced underground.
60.
Nawaz Sharif's popularity peaked in May 1998 after conducting the country's first nuclear weapons tests in response to tests by India.
61.
When Western countries suspended foreign aid, Nawaz Sharif froze the country's foreign currency reserves and economic conditions worsened.
62.
However, on 7 September, before a state visit to the US, Nawaz Sharif acknowledged in a STN News interview that the country had had an atomic bomb since 1978.
63.
In May 1998, soon after Indian nuclear tests, Nawaz Sharif vowed that his country would make a suitable reply.
64.
Nawaz Sharif 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.
65.
Nawaz Sharif scrambled the Pakistan Air Force and had nuclear bombs prepared for deployment.
66.
Nawaz Sharif was awarded an Ig Nobel prize for his "aggressively peaceful explosions of atomic bombs".
67.
Nawaz Sharif built Pakistan's first major motorway, the M2 Motorway, called the Autobahn of South Asia.
68.
Nawaz Sharif's critics questioned the layout of the highway, its excessive length, its distance from important cities, and the absence of link roads with important towns.
69.
Nawaz Sharif loosened foreign exchange restrictions and opened Karachi Stock Exchange to foreign capital, but the government remained short of funds for investments.
70.
Nawaz Sharif continued to meddle with the stock exchange markets with devastating effects.
71.
Nawaz Sharif strengthened Pakistan's relations with the Muslim world and Europe.
72.
In February 1997, Nawaz Sharif met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng to discuss economic cooperation.
73.
In 1997, Nawaz Sharif signed a trilateral free trade agreement with Malaysia and Singapore, which was followed by collaboration in defence.
74.
In January 1998, Nawaz Sharif signed bilateral economic agreements with South Korean President Kim Young-sam.
75.
Nawaz Sharif signed a number of agreements to enlarge economic co-operation with Italy and Belgium, and an agreement with the European Union for the protection of intellectual, industrial and commercial property rights.
76.
In June 1998, Nawaz Sharif 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.
77.
In late August 1998, Nawaz Sharif proposed a law to establish a legal system based on Islamic principles.
78.
Nawaz Sharif's proposal came a week after the 10-year commemorations of the late president Zia ul-Haq.
79.
Nawaz Sharif openly criticised Chief Justice Sajad Alishah, inviting a notice of contempt.
80.
At the urging of the military and president, Nawaz Sharif agreed the solve the conflict amicably but remained determined to oust Alishah.
81.
Nawaz Sharif manipulated the ranks of senior judges, deposing two judges close to Alishah.
82.
However, the military-backed Nawaz Sharif refused to obey the president's orders to remove him.
83.
Nawaz Sharif forced President Farooq Leghari to resign, and appointed Wasim Sajjad as acting president, then ousted Alishah to end the constitutional crisis.
84.
Nawaz Sharif passed the controversial Anti-Terrorist Act on 17 August 1997, which established Anti-Terrorism Courts.
85.
However, Nawaz Sharif made amendments and received the permission of the Supreme Court to establish these courts.
86.
From 1981 until 1999, Nawaz Sharif 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.
87.
However, when Chief of Army Staff General Jehangir Karamat advocated for a National Security Council, Nawaz Sharif interpreted this as a conspiracy to return the military to an active political role.
88.
Nawaz Sharif promoted General Pervez Musharraf to replace Karamat, making Musharraf Chairman of the Joint Chiefs despite his lack of seniority.
89.
Bokhari lodged a protest against the Kargil debacle and called for the court-martial of Musharraf, who Nawaz Sharif said acted alone.
90.
Nawaz Sharif failed to gain foreign support against India for the incident, which newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza viewed as a lack of support for the navy in wartime.
91.
Two months later, after steadily worsening relations with the Armed Forces, Nawaz Sharif was deposed by Musharraf and martial law was established throughout the country.
92.
On 12 October 1999, Nawaz Sharif attempted to remove Musharraf for military failures and replace him with General Ziauddin Butt.
93.
Nawaz Sharif'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.
94.
Nawaz Sharif was taken to Adiala Jail for trial by a military judge.
95.
Reports surfaced that Nawaz Sharif had nearly been sentenced to execution.
96.
The Lahore High Court agreed to acquit him if he could prove his innocence, but Nawaz Sharif was unable to cite any substantial evidence.
97.
Nawaz Sharif was ordered to pay a fine of US$400,000 on grounds of tax evasion, and he was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment.
98.
Musharraf wrote in his memoirs that, without the intervention of Fahd, Nawaz Sharif would have been executed.
99.
Nawaz Sharif travelled to Jeddah, 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.
100.
Muqrin expressed hope that Nawaz Sharif would continue with the agreement to not return for 10 years, but said "these little things do not affect relations".
101.
Two days later, Nawaz Sharif returned from exile in London to Islamabad.
102.
Nawaz Sharif was prevented from leaving the aeroplane and he was deported to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, within hours.
103.
Nawaz Sharif attempted to convince Saudi Arabia to prevent Nawaz from returning until after the January 2008 elections.
104.
Nawaz Sharif had become more politically relevant after the return to Pakistan of Benazir Bhutto, who had been exiled.
105.
Saudi Arabia suggested that if Pakistan had allowed a democratic-socialist woman leader, Bhutto, to return to the country, then the conservative Nawaz Sharif should be permitted to return as well.
106.
Nawaz Sharif 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.
107.
Nawaz Sharif campaigned for the restoration of the independent judges removed by emergency government decree and Musharraf's departure.
108.
Nawaz Sharif condemned Bhutto's assassination and called it the "gloomiest day in Pakistan's history".
109.
Nawaz Sharif accused Musharraf of ordering anti-terror operations that had left the country "drowned in blood".
110.
Nawaz Sharif won much public support for his uncompromising stand, and the coalition successfully forced Musharraf's resignation from the presidency.
111.
Zardari and Nawaz Sharif sent a formal request for him to step down.
112.
Nawaz Sharif claimed that Musharraf was responsible for the crisis in the nation.
113.
Nawaz Sharif had championed the cause of the judges since their dismissal, and he and Zardari had supported the reinstatement of judges in their campaigns.
114.
Khan was accused of personally attacking Nawaz Sharif and was given notice by the Election Commission of Pakistan, though Khan denied it.
115.
Nawaz Sharif promised to construct a third port in Keti Bandar on the southern coast of Thatta District.
116.
Just prior to the election, Nawaz Sharif confirmed he had a long telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, suggesting a desire to improve diplomatic relations.
117.
Khan accused Nawaz Sharif of plundering the national wealth, and called on the public to withhold taxes and payment of utility bills to force the government to resign.
118.
Nawaz Sharif called for a caretaker government to be formed of non-politicians, and for fresh elections.
119.
Nawaz Sharif was sworn in for an unprecedented third term as prime minister on 7 June 2013.
120.
Nawaz Sharif faced numerous challenges, including bringing an end to US drone strikes and Taliban attacks while tackling a crippled economy.
121.
In March 2016, The Washington Post reported that Nawaz Sharif 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.
122.
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 Sharif implement Shariah and declare Qadri a martyr.
123.
Nawaz Sharif's government declared that the Hindu festivals Diwali and Holi, and the Christian festival of Easter, were officially public holidays.
124.
Nawaz Sharif established the Professor Abdus Salam Fellowship to fully fund five Pakistani doctoral students in Physics.
125.
Nawaz Sharif stressed the need for operation Zarb-e-Qalam to fight societal extremism and intolerance through the power of "writers, poets and intellectuals".
126.
The Nawaz Sharif administration negotiated free trade agreements to expand trade liberalisation, notably with Turkey, South Korea, Iran, and Thailand, and an expansion of the FTA with Malaysia.
127.
In FY2015, industrial growth slowed due to power shortages, as Nawaz Sharif's administration failed to make adequate reforms in energy, taxation, and public sector enterprises.
128.
Nawaz Sharif claimed that Pakistan's economic outlook had become more stable.
129.
Nawaz Sharif added that continued efforts were needed to bring more people under taxation and to ensure that all paid their fair share.
130.
Nawaz Sharif launched the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, providing a PRs.
131.
In February 2014, Nawaz Sharif confirmed to the IAEA that all future civilian nuclear power plants and research reactors will voluntarily be put under IAEA safeguards.
132.
Nawaz Sharif attended the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit, and stated that Pakistan was giving nuclear security the highest importance.
133.
On 3 March 2017, Nawaz Sharif's cabinet approved a set of steps to be taken for the proposed merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with a 10-year PRs.
134.
On 9 September 2013, Nawaz Sharif proposed a civil-military partnership, and immediately reestablished the National Security Council with Sartaj Aziz as his National Security Advisor.
135.
Nawaz Sharif reconstituted the Cabinet Committee on National Security, with military representation in the political body.
136.
In September 2013, Nawaz Sharif announced that Pakistan would open unconditional talks with the Taliban, declaring them stakeholders rather than terrorists.
137.
The Nawaz Sharif government launched a ranger-led operation on 5 September 2013 in Karachi, aimed at removing crime and terrorism from the metropolis.
138.
Nawaz Sharif launched 'peaceful neighbourhood' initiative to improve Pakistan's ties with India, Afghanistan, Iran and China.
139.
On 12 May 2014, Nawaz Sharif met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani amid tensions over the February kidnapping of five Iranian soldiers by extremists who took them into Pakistan.
140.
On 27 October 2016, Nawaz Sharif hosted the 15th ministerial meeting of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, and proposed an Open Skies Agreement between the countries.
141.
Nawaz Sharif announced Pakistan would aid China it its fight against the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
142.
Nawaz Sharif launched talks with India to liberalize their trade relationship, and gained and an agreement of Non-Discriminatory Market Access on Reciprocal Basis status for the two countries on 26 March 2014.
143.
However, The Times of India reported that Pakistan's military pressured Nawaz Sharif to stop trade liberalisation with India.
144.
Nawaz Sharif 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.
145.
Modi and Nawaz Sharif held a brief meeting at Raiwind Palace.
146.
On 29 March 2016, Nawaz Sharif's government released a six-minute video of Jadhav apparently confessing to the RAW's involvement in the country.
147.
India's junior foreign minister M J Akbar criticised Nawaz for glorifying Wani.
148.
Nawaz Sharif 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.
149.
Nawaz Sharif paid an official visit to Washington, DC from 20 to 23 October 2013.
150.
Nawaz Sharif called president-elect Donald Trump on 1 December 2016 to congratulate him.
151.
The statement released by Nawaz Sharif's office quoted Trump calling Nawaz Sharif a "terrific guy", adding that Pakistan is a "fantastic country, fantastic place".
152.
Nawaz Sharif visited London on 30 April 2014 and met David Cameron and other officials, and delivered a keynote address at the Pakistan Investment Conference.
153.
On 11 November 2014, Nawaz Sharif visited Berlin where he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
154.
Shoygu held in-depth talks with Nawaz Sharif, who promised to promote multi-dimensional relations with Russia.
155.
Nawaz Sharif is said to enjoy exceptionally close ties with senior members of the Saudi royal family.
156.
Nawaz Sharif met Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, while Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud referred to Pakistan as his second home.
157.
Nawaz Sharif promised closer counter-terrorism and military co-operation but no troops for the immediate future.
158.
However, Nawaz Sharif struck a more conciliatory tone, suggesting that Islamabad would mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
159.
Nawaz Sharif married Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif, who was of Kashmiri descent, in April 1971.
160.
Nawaz Sharif has a residence in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, known as the Sharif Villa, where he lived during his years in exile.
161.
Nawaz Sharif's elder son, Hussain Nawaz, is a businessman based in Saudi Arabia and currently resides in Jeddah.
162.
Nawaz Sharif's younger son, Hassan Nawaz, is a businessman and lives in London.
163.
Nawaz Sharif underwent open heart surgery in May 2016 in London.
164.
Jon Boone wrote in The Guardian in 2013, that following his attempts to enact Sharia Law in the late 1990s, Nawaz Sharif had adopted a more centrist position by seeking diplomatic and trade relations with India which encouraged support from left-leaning Pakistanis.
165.
Afrasiab Khattak summarized the shift by stating "[Nawaz Sharif] knows extremism is not good for business".
166.
Leftist Senator Raza Rabbani claimed that Nawaz Sharif "has always had these rightwing leanings", adding that "the temptation was there in the past to appease his rightwing Islamist constituency".
167.
Nawaz Sharif is not your average type of serious, sulking fundo.
168.
Nawaz Sharif claimed to have support from the majority of the parties in Parliament.
169.
Nawaz Sharif was criticised by his opponents for running a system of patronage in which relatives were appointed to key state positions such as his brother as Chief Minister, and other relatives as cabinet ministers.
170.
The Express Tribune claimed on 20 April 2015 that Nawaz Sharif's administration misled the International Monetary Fund 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 PRs.
171.
Nawaz Sharif officially condemned the killing but Dawn 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.
172.
Nawaz Sharif was one of five billionaires elected to Pakistan's National Assembly in 2013.
173.
The court announced its decision on 28 July 2017 and disqualified Nawaz Sharif 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.
174.
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 of 2017.
175.
Reports claimed that Nawaz Sharif suffered four angina attacks and his family complained that the Imran Khan government was not allowing him time for medical treatment.
176.
The Islamabad High Court granted him bail on humanitarian grounds in October 2019, and Nawaz Sharif went to London for medical treatment.