Sharif family

Sharif Family
Ethnicity Primarily Muslim
Kashmiri-Punjabi
Current region Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan
Place of origin Jati Umra, Amritsar, India[1]
Members Muhammad Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Shahbaz Sharif
Hamza Shahbaz Sharif
Maryam Nawaz
Estate Ittefaq Group
Raiwind Palace
Sharif Medical City
Hudaibiya Paper Mills
A head and shoulder shoot of man wearing traditional Pakistani clothes.
Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif.

The Sharif family (Urdu: شريف خاندان‎) is a Pakistani political family which has been dominant in the politics of Pakistan for much of Pakistan's political history since 1983.[2] They are currently the First Family of Pakistan. The family of Nawaz Sharif is of Kashmiri-Punjabi origin settled in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan and used the surname Mian.[2] Muhammad Sharif, the father of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, migrated from Jati Umra, Amritsar, after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. He was a businessman and the founder of the Ittefaq Group in 1939. He established his business in Lahore.[3]

In Pakistani politics

The Sharif family has been actively involved in the politics of Pakistan since the nationalization of their factories in the regime of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Sharif rose to prominence as part of General Zia-ul-Haq's military regime in the 1980s under the wing of Governor of Punjab Ghulam Jilani Khan. He was appointed Chief Minister of Punjab by Zia in 1985. After Zia's death and Benazir Bhutto's being elected Prime Minister in 1988, the affiliation to Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), a right-wing alliance formed against Pakistan People's Party in 1988. In the same year, Nawaz Sharif was elected the chief minister of the Punjab.[4] When Benazir was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 on corruption charges, Sharif was elected Prime Minister the same year. But relations between Sharif and Khan too deteriorated, with president attempting to dismiss Sharif on similar charges. Sharif successfully challenged the President's decision in the Supreme Court, but both men were ultimately persuaded to step down in 1993 by army chief Abdul Waheed Kakar. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 until October 12, 1999.[5][6] Shahbaz Sharif is the current Chief Minister of the Punjab,[7] and also held the position from 1997 to 1999.[2] Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), a center-right, conservative and one of the largest political parties in Pakistan, is currently headed by Nawaz Sharif.[8][9] The family has influence mainly in Punjab province and their third generation is also becoming involved in Pakistani politics.[2]

Wealth

The Sharif family owns Ittefaq Group, a multimillion dollar steel conglomerate.[10] In 2005, Daily Pakistan reported that the family is the fourth wealthiest in Pakistan with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.[11] The Sharif family expanded its steel business empire by employing state of the art technology.[12] They are also the owners of the extravagant Raiwind Palace of Lahore.[13]

Judiciary issues

In 2000, three main cases were filed against the Sharif family. Nine members: Muhammad Sharif, wife of Muhammad Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Shamim Akhtar, wife of Abbas Sharif (Sabiha Abbas) and Maryam Nawaz, were named in the Hudaibiya paper mills case. In 2008, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reopened the cases of corruption and money laundering against the family about Raiwind assets, Hudaibiya Paper Mills and Ittefaq Foundry.[2][14]

Ittefaq Group had obtained a loan of Rs 3.11 billion collectively from eight different banks during 1982 and 1998. After selling four units the Group, a default loan-amount Rs Rs 6 billion was recovered, but mark-up was yet to be recovered as per rules. On 7 November 2014, Lahore High Court (LHC), on the petition of the consortium of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and other financial organisation, directed the Group to pay mark-up of Rs 3.5 billion against a collective loan of obtained from a consortium of banks.[15] However, the Sharif family's spokesman claimed that the Group had paid the mark-up stating that "the factual position was that all banks had been repaid hundred percent of the loan’s required amount", and "it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that any family or industrial unit had returned its complete loan, along with its markup, without getting it waived at all."[14]

In December 2000, 18 members of the family were exiled to Saudi Arabia, after a deal with the government of Pervez Musharraf.[2]

Family tree


  not direct relatives (only related by marriage)

555

List of family members

First Generation

]], a Pakistani businessman and father of Nawaz Sharif and Shabaz Sharif.[3]

Second Generation
Third Generation

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Sharif behind the Sharifs
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sharif Family". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  3. 1 2 Staff Report (31 October 2004). "Mian Sharif: businessman, kingmaker and philanthropist". Daily Times. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military by Husain Haqqani, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005, pp. 202–203.
  5. 1 2 "Profile: Nawaz Sharif". storyofpakistan. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Nawaz Sharif Becomes Prime Minister (1990)". History of Pakistan. 1 June 2003. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Former Pak PM's brother elected provincial chief executive". People's Daily. Xinhua News Agency. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  8. ↑ Carr, Adam. "2008 Parliamentary elections results". Adam Carr. Adam Carr and Pakistan Election Commission. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Editorial (17 January 2012). "Pakistan Muslim League (N)". Dawn (Herald). Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Baker, Raymond (2005). Capitalism's Achilles heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free-market System. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-471-64488-0. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  11. ↑ Masterful Teeth, ed. (8 December 2007). "Pakistans Rich List of 2008". teeth.com.pk. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  12. ↑ Kharal, Asad (11 November 2011). "Nawaz Sharif owns only one sugar mill?". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Staff Reporter (31 December 2010). "Raiwind palace can't bring revolution: Q". The Nation. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Asad, Malik (29 July 2012). "Sharifs summoned in corruption cases again". Dawn. Herald. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  15. ↑ Staff Report (7 November 2014). "LHC tells Sharif family to pay Rs 3.5bn mark-up on loan". Daily Times. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Sharifs seek NAB cases quashed". Dawn. Herald. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  17. 1 2 "Kulsoom vows to return in a few days". The News International. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Nawaz Sharif's brother passes away". The Express Tribune. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  19. ↑ Taseer, Sherbano (30 March 2012). "The Rebirth of Maryam Nawaz Sharif". Newsweek Pakistan. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  20. ↑ Asad, Malik (8 September 2012). "Court orders newspaper ad for Hamza appearance". Daily Times. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  21. ↑ Asad, Malik (21 October 2012). "Bakery tortures of employee: CM's son-in-law sent on judicial remand". Daily Times. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

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