Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Political Timeline

Shehbaz Sharif has taken over Pakistan’s reins for a second time since 2022, amidst country’s extreme economic and security challenges.

President Arif Alvi administered the oath to the 72-year-old Shehbaz in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the presidential palace.

Shehbaz Sharif who has resumed the office for the second time entered politics in the late 1980s when his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, became chief minister of Punjab. Nawaz Sharif's terms as prime minister further elevated Shehbaz Sharif's status. 

Shehbaz Sharif served as Punjab's chief minister from 2013 to 2018. Later, in 2017, he took over the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) party after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court.

In 1988, Shehbaz participated in the first general elections held after the death of Zia-ul-Haq. He won a seat in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab that year and later secured a seat in the National Assembly in 1990. 

In 1993, he was re-elected to both the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. Choosing to lead the opposition in the Provincial Assembly from 1993 to 1996, he gave up his seat in the National Assembly. 

In 1997, the PML-N won power across the country, and Shehbaz became the chief minister of Punjab. Amid Pakistan's democratic turbulence after Zia-ul-Haq's rule, the Sharif brothers, Nawaz and Shehbaz, faced challenges from Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Despite a sweeping electoral victory in 1997, Nawaz Sharif's strained relations with the military led to his ousting in a 1999 coup by Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Both brothers were tried for hijacking but Shehbaz was acquitted, later going into exile in Saudi Arabia.

In 2007, the Sharif brothers returned to Pakistan ahead of the 2008 elections, while Bhutto's return ended in tragedy with her assassination. 

Her party, led by Asif Ali Zardari, united with the Sharifs against Musharraf, leading to his resignation in 2008. 

Shehbaz Sharif, as Punjab's chief minister, focused on development and anti-corruption efforts, notably initiating the Orange Line metro project. Despite successes, criticism arose for health and agricultural neglect.

In 2015, the Panama Papers linked Nawaz Sharif and his children to corruption. Shehbaz Sharif faced deposition, but Nawaz's disqualification led him to London for medical treatment. 

Shehbaz took charge of PML-N, but they lost to Imran Khan's PTI in 2018. In 2020, amidst economic crisis, he formed a coalition called Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and faced allegations of money laundering, leading to his brief detention.

In 2022, Shehbaz Sharif became Prime Minister of Pakistan after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition ousted Imran Khan's government. 

Despite high hopes, his tenure faced economic woes and natural disasters. In late 2022, terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacks escalated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The political alliance between Sharif's PML-N and Zardari's PPP strengthened after Khan's arrest for corruption in May 2023.

After the recent February 8 elections, Shehbaz Sharif was chosen the Prime Ministerial candidate with the consensus of both the PML-N and the PPP. Both the parties have agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a coalition government.

Shehbaz received 201 votes in the 336-member Parliament. His challenger Omar Ayub Khan of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured 92 votes.

An overview of Shehbaz Sharif’s political life: