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Political Party PML_N |
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Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif |
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Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was born in Lahore on December 25, 1949. He is the eldest son of Muhammad Sharif, a joint owner of the Ittefaq Group of Industries. Nawaz Sharif got his schooling from Saint Anthony's High School. After graduating from Government College Lahore, he obtained his Law Degree from the Punjab University. Nawaz Sharif remained a member of the Punjab Provincial Council for some time. He joined the Punjab Cabinet as Finance Minister in 1981. He was able to raise the allocation of funds for the development of rural areas to 70 percent of the Annual Development Program in the Province. He also held the portfolio of Sports and was able to reorganize the sports activities in the Province. In the general elections of 1985, Nawaz Sharif won with an overwhelming majority, both in the National and Provincial Assemblies. On April 9, 1985, he was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Punjab. On May 31, 1988, he was appointed caretaker Chief Minister, after the dismissal of Assemblies by General Zia. Nawaz Sharif was again elected as Chief Minister after the 1988 general elections. A massive uplift of Murree and Kahuta was undertaken during his term as Chief Minister of Punjab. On November 6, 1990, Nawaz Sharif was sworn-in as Prime Minister of the country, after his alliance, I. J. I. won the October 1990 elections. However, Nawaz Sharif could not complete his term of five years, and was dismissed by the President in April 1993. He was reinstated by the superior Judiciary, but had to resign along with the President in July 1993. During his tenure as the Prime Minister, efforts were made to strengthen the industries with the help of private sector. Projects like Ghazi Brotha and Gawadar Miniport were initiated. Land was distributed among landless peasants in Sindh. Relations with the Central Asian Muslim Republics were strengthened and E. C. O. was given a boost. In an attempt to end the Afghan crisis, the "Islamabad Accord" was reached between various Afghan factions. His most important contribution was economic progress despite American sanctions on Pakistan through the Pressler Amendment. Pakistan Muslim League again won the elections held in February 1997, and Mian Nawaz Sharif was re-elected as Prime Minister with an overwhelming majority.
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Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif |
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Born in Lahore in 1950, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Shahbaz Sharif, who graduated with distinction from Lahore, is a keen businessman and played a vital role in success of the Ittefaq Group of Companies, which was founded by his father and uncles. He was elected as president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1985. He was elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1988 elections and National Assembly in 1990. He was again elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1993 and was named leader of the opposition in the house when Manzoor Wattoo was the chief minister of Punjab. After his election to the Punjab Assembly for the third time in 1997 elections, Shahbaz Sharif was elected leader of the house and sworn in as the chief minister of Punjab on February 20, 1997. He held the office till October 12, 1999 when the military under staged a coup under General Pervez Musharraf and toppled the government of his brother. He was arrested from the Prime Minister in Islamabad along with his brother. As the chief executive of the Punjab province, he was known as a strict disciplinarian. During his tenure, he tried to eliminate the culture of bureaucratic hurdles in the uplift process and focused on health, education, agriculture and industrial sectors. He launched a successful operation against ghost schools by involving army. He also took action against use of illegal means in examinations across the province. The entry test and self-finance systems in medical colleges were introduced during his tenure as the Punjab chief minister.
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Raja Zafarul Haq |
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Raja Zafarul Haq was born in District Rawalpindi of the Punjab in 1935. He grew up to be a lawyer by profession but was not a great success in this field. He developed anti-Ahmadiyya prejudices early in his career and was a gratis defense counsel for Aslam Qureshi, a lift operator, who carried out a criminal assault with dagger in 1970 on Mr. M. M. Ahmad, a prominent Ahmadi and an Advisor to the President of Pakistan. Later, the Raja switched over to politics and flourished in this field during the dictatorial regime of General Zia. He was appointed a Federal Minister from 1981-85. When in the Federal Cabinet, he played an active role in preparation of the notorious Anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX, and helped General Zia in opening floodgates of persecution and tyranny against Ahmadiyya Community. He also announced in 1984 a 7-point plan whereby all the Muslim countries were to form a united front to strive for the eradication of Ahmadiyyat (Pakistan Times, 12 May 1984). He also had an anti-Ahmadiyya compendium issued by the Government. All this resulted in a spate of serious violations of Human Rights not only in Pakistan but also in some other Muslim countries. During 1985 elections, he failed to win a seat in the National Assembly, so he was appointed an ambassador in Egypt.
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