Shehbaz Sharif is an eminent politician, businessperson and current president of PMLN. IN the absence of Nawaz Sharif, he was head of PMLN.
Biography
Shehbaz Sharif was born to an upper-middle-class, business-oriented family on September 23, 1951. He belongs to a Kashmiri family with a great business background, particularly Ittefaq Group. Ittefaq Group was a small steel business that has now been developed into many industries, established by his father.
Having a lasting and influential career in Pakistani politics, he has been given the chance to be the 23rd Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Pakistan several times, resulting in many advancements, particularly in education, infrastructure and health.
Family Background
His family includes his father, Muhammad Sharif, his mother, Shamim Akhtar, and two brothers, Abbas Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. Shehbaz married Nusrat Shehbaz in 1973. They had four children: Salman, Hamza, Javeria and Rabia. Hamza Shehbaz is fully involved in politics.
In 2003, Shehbaz married his second wife, Tehmina Durani. His elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, has been in politics as a prominent member and founder of PMLN. He has served Pakistan three times as a Prime Minister. They both are involved in business as well as politics.
Education
Shehbaz Sharif started his schooling at Saint Anthony High School. Later, he got a Bachelor of Arts from Government College (GCU now) in the early 1970s. His education and foundational understanding laid the foundation of his bright political and business career. After graduating, he joined the Ittefaq Group, but their company’s nationalisation in Bhutto’s era led to his involvement in politics.
PMLN
In 1988, after the death of General Zia Ul Haq, Fida Mohammad Khan made a conservative alliance by separating a large pool of politicians from the Pakistan Muslim League led by Junejo. The coalition succeeded in forming a government under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif in 1990. However, in 1993, Nawaz Sharif dissolved the partnership and started a party with his name called the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN). Shehbaz Sharif is the current president of PMLN.
Political Journey
After the death of Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, the country had general elections. Sharif participated in the polls. He won a seat in the National Assembly in 1990. In 1993, Shehbaz won a seat in both the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. Again, in 1997, he won the seat and became chief minister of Punjab. This tenure ended on October 12 1999.
Shehbaz Sharif contested in the June 8, 2008 elections and became a chief minister again. He proved himself a great administrator by introducing development projects, improving educational access, and eliminating corruption in the bureaucracy. After the election in 2013, he remained chief minister by securing 217 out of 372 seats. This era as a chief minister ended on June 7, 2018. Then, he was nominated for Prime Minister in April 2022 after the decline of Imran Khan. He took charge as the Prime Minister of Pakistan on April 11, 2022.
As the chief minister, he focused on health, education, agriculture and the industrial sector, promoting mass transportation systems in Punjab.
Youth Programs
As a prime minister, he introduced the Prime Minister’s Youth Program with an ideology to empower, encourage and educate youth in an informative way in 2013. He introduced the Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme, Youth Loan Programs, foreign and national scholarship programs, internships and many other services for students and youth of Pakistan.
CPEC and Metro
During his third tenure, he initiated a rapid urban transportation project in Lahore, the Lahore Metro Bus. The construction of the Orange Line metro train system in Lahore was also notable. It was made possible by increased investment from China. During his tenure as a chief minister, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) program made Pakistan the strategic centre of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The project started operating in 2013 and has 27 stations along a 27 km corridor that stretches from Shahdara to Gajumata.
Allegations
Despite his successes in Punjab, Sharif faced criticism for neglecting issues such as health care and agricultural reforms. On September 28 2020, police arrested Shehbaz due to the charges of money laundering over Rs. 7,328 million in a systematic scheme by the National Accountability Bureau. The Bureau froze 23 properties of him, his son, and other family members. NAB has claimed that the assets of Shehbaz’s family have no authentic source.
On April 14, 2021, the Lahore High Court released Shehbaz on bail in a money laundering reference. On October 12, 2022, he and his son were acquitted of all corruption and money laundering charges by the Special Court Central in Lahore.
Conclusion
Shehbaz Sharif is influential as he played active roles in all his tenures. Both his business as well as political career were bright.