Shehbaz Sharif

Sharif was born on 23 September 1951 in Lahore, West Punjab. His family is Punjabi with Kashmiri ancestry. Sharif's father, Mian Muhammad Sharif, was an upper-middle-class businessman and industrialist whose family had emigrated from Anantnag in Kashmir for business, and eventually settled in the village of Jati Umra in Amritsar district, Punjab, at the beginning of the twentieth century. His mother's family came from Pulwama. Following the partition of India and Pakistan's independence in 1947, his parents migrated from Amritsar to Lahore. He has two brothers: Abbas Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz is a three-time elected prime minister of Pakistan, serving the longest non-consecutive tenure in the role. Nawaz's wife, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, was the first lady of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz is the current chief minister of Punjab.

Sharif attended St. Anthony High School, Lahore, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Government College University, Lahore. After his graduation, he joined his family-owned Ittefaq Group. He was elected president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 1985.

Family

Sharif married Nusrat Shehbaz in 1973. They had four children: Salman, Hamza, and twin daughters Javeria and Rabia.

His second marriage was to Aaliya Honey, whom he married in 1993. The couple separated after just one year.

In 2003, Sharif married his third wife, author and artist Tehmina Durrani.

Sharif began his political career after getting elected to the Punjab Assembly from Constituency PP-122 (Lahore-VII) as a candidate of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) in the 1988 general election. He had 22,372 votes and defeated a candidate of the Pakistan People's Party (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 an IJI candidate in the 1990 general election. He received 26,408 votes and defeated a candidate of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDA). In the same election, he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-96 (Lahore-V) as a candidate of IJI. He secured 54,506 votes and defeated Jehangir Bader. He vacated the Punjab Assembly seat to retain his National Assembly seat. His term prematurely ended in 1993 when the assemblies were dissolved.

In April 1993, the widow of Chief of Army Staff General Asif Nawaz Janjua, alleged that Brigadier Imtiaz Ahmed, head of the Intelligence Bureau, Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, and Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan had planned to eliminate her husband.

He was re-elected to the Punjab Assembly from Constituency PP-125 (Lahore-X) as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML(N)), a new party founded by his brother, Nawaz, in the 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 the PML(N). He secured 55,867 votes and defeated Yousuf Salahuddin. He vacated the National Assembly seat and retained his Provincial Punjab Assembly seat. Shortly after the election, he was elected Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. During his tenure as Leader of the Opposition, he travelled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. In his absence, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was made Acting Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. His term as a member of the Punjab Assembly and Leader of the Opposition prematurely ended in November 1996 when the assemblies were dissolved.