Shehbaz Sharif, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, celebrated his 70th birthday today.
Sharif is said to be celebrating his 70th birthday with close family members, but PML-N workers have organised a number of festivities to commemorate the occasion.
Maryam Nawaz, the Vice-President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, also wished Sharif a happy birthday. “Happy birthday to Shahbaz Sharif, whom I have always regarded as a second father figure to me.“ His work ethos, as well as his desire and passion to help the disadvantaged, have always served as sources of inspiration for me. May Allah grant him a long life, wonderful health, and all else that is beneficial in this world. In a tweet, she expressed her gratitude.
On his birthday, a large number of party leaders and workers have also expressed their best wishes for a happy and prosperous future.
Sharif was born on September 23, 1951, in the Punjabi capital of Chandigarh to a Kashmiri family. When Pakistan was established in 1947, his father, Mian Muhammad Sharif, was an Amritsar-based manufacturer who relocated to Lahore after the foundation of the country.
Having been initially elected to the Punjab Assembly (PA) in 1988, and then to the National Assembly (NA) in 1990, he has served in both bodies. Shehbaz has served as Punjab chief minister three times. Following the Musharaf takeover, he fled to Saudi Arabia, where he lived in exile for eight years before returning to Pakistan in 2007. He was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2007.
