Muhammad Sharif

Muhammad Sharif

Mian Muhammad Sharif (Punjabi, Urdu: محمد شریف‎ ;1920 – October 2004) was a Pakistani industrialist and father of current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif and the chief minister of the Punjab province, Shahbaz Sharif. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947 he, along with his six brothers, migrated to Pakistan and settled in Lahore, Punjab.[1][2][3]

Early life

Sharif was born in 1920.[2] He was an upper middle-class businessman and industrialist who had migrated from Amritsar district to Pakistan during the independence of Pakistan in 1947. His ancestors were from Anantnag, Kashmir. His family is of Kashmiri origin.[4]

Politics and welfare projects

Sharif was very close to General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and was known as a respected political personality.[3] He was involved in politics through his sons, Nawaz Sharif who was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and Shahbaz Sharif, who was chief minister of Punjab province of Pakistan.[5][6][7] He insisted on many policies that were followed by his sons. Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, who was a good friend of Muhammad Sharif, was appointed as the President of Pakistan by Nawaz Sharif on recommendation of his father.[8]

He developed a welfare project, Sharif Medical City, in Raiwind, Pakistan. He established Azizia Steel Mills in Saudi Arabia.[2]

Death

In 2000, Sharif's family was exiled to Saudi Arabia by then Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf.[2] He died of a Cardiac arrest in Jeddah, in October 2004, at the age of 84.[9] Sharif was suffering from chronic heart disease and underwent angioplasty twice. In 1982, he had his first heart bypass.[9] He left three sons and a daughter behind.[1] His funeral took place in Masjid al-Haram on the 30th of October, 2004.[10] He is buried in Raiwind, Lahore.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Staff Report (30 October 2004). "Mian Sharif dies in Jeddah". Daily Times. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Staff Report (31 October 2004). "Mian Sharif: businessman, kingmaker and philanthropist". Daily Times. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sharif Family". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Lieven, Anatol (2011). Pakistan: A Hard Country. PublicAffairs. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-61039-021-7. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "Profile: Nawaz Sharif". storyofpakistan.com. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Nawaz Sharif". Encyclopædia Britannica on-line. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Government of Punjab, Pakistan". punjab.gov. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Muhammad Rafiq Tarar profile". storyofpakistan.com. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Jerar Naqvi, Lubna (31 October 2004). "Mian Sharif passes away". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Sharif, Arshad and Mumtaz, Ashraf (30 October 2004). "Mian Sharif dies in Jeddah". The Dawn. Retrieved 5 September 2012.