Shehbaz Sharif Net Worth

Background and career

Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the prime minister of Pakistan since 2024, being the only person to hold it for two consecutive terms, having previously been in the role between 2022 and 2023. He has also served as the chief minister of Punjab three times, spanning over 12 years, making him the longest-serving person in the role, the leader of the opposition, and the president of the Pakistan Muslim League (N).

Sharif was elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1988 and later to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1990, when his brother became head of the conservative Islami Jamhuri Ittihad (IJI). He was re-elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1993 and appointed leader of the opposition. He was elected as chief minister of Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, for the first time on 20 February 1997. After the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état, Sharif and his brother were arrested and exiled the next year to Saudi Arabia at the request of the Saudis, returning to Pakistan in 2007. Sharif was elected chief minister for a second term after the PML(N)'s victory in Punjab in the 2008 general election. He was elected as chief minister of Punjab for the third time after provincial election in 2013. Sharif was nominated as the president of the PML(N) after his brother, Nawaz Sharif, was disqualified from holding office in the wake of the Panama Papers case.

Sharif was nominated as the leader of the opposition after the 2018 general election and elected as prime minister in April 2022 after the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was passed. After the PML(N) won a plurality in the controversial 2024 general election, which was widely marred by allegations of electoral rigging and irregularities in his party's favour, Sharif became prime minister with a coalition government.

During his tenure, Pakistan has faced high inflation and economic difficulties, with an estimated 48% of the population living below the poverty line, leading to greater reliance on petroleum levies, indirect taxation and financial assistance from the IMF. His administration has faced criticism over the economic burden on low-income households, corruption and weak accountability in the public sector, as well as increased privileges for parliamentarians. He has also faced criticism over the 2022 constitutional crisis and the use of excessive force by security personnel during protests, as well as changes to the constitutional and military command structures, lifetime privileges and legal protections for senior military officers, and extensions of military chiefs' tenures. Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented restrictions on freedom of expression, violence against journalists, human rights violations, the misuse of cybercrime laws and digital censorship during his premiership. Critics have also accused his government of weakening fundamental rights and state institutions, and of seeking greater influence over judicial and military appointments.

He has also faced domestic and international criticism over the Imprisonment of Imran Khan, and the resurgence of militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while opposition groups have accused his government of benefiting from alleged electoral rigging, allegations that have been disputed by the government. These criticisms intensified following the imposition of governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which ended the opposition-led provincial government, and the subsequent arrests of Sohail Afridi and members of his cabinet, without clear legal grounds and access to courts, to undisclosed locations, with their whereabouts remaining unknown.

On foreign policy, he received international praise for Pakistan's diplomatic role in efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States and for strengthening defence cooperation with other countries through the Mecca Defence Alliance.

His rule as prime minister has been described by critics as increasingly authoritarian, citing actions against political opposition, restrictions on freedom of expression, and weakening democratic accountability.