Mian Muhammad Sharif


Mian Muhammad Sharif was a Pakistani businessman who is known as the co-founder of Ittefaq Group and founder of Sharif Group.

Early life and family

Sharif was born in 1919 to Mian Mohammad Baksh, a poor Kashmiri family, in a small village Amritsar, Punjab. He is one among seven brothers, according to credible sources, he did his schooling from Indian Punjab, then he moved to Lahore for his college education, he studied in DAV College Lahore. In 1936, the family relocated to Lahore for better economic opportunities. Sharif used to work as a laborer in a steel factory in Lahore, owned by a Hindu businessman.
In 1939, Sharif founded a small steel foundry with borrowed money.. His business was among the largest businesses in Pakistan, after BECO Engineering, his business was second largest in Pakistan.
He was married to Shamim Akhtar, with whom he had three sons. His all children became politician, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif.
He developed a welfare project, Sharif Medical City, in Raiwind, Pakistan.

Death

In 2000, Sharif's family was exiled to Saudi Arabia by then Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf. He died of a Cardiac arrest in Jeddah, in 19 October 2004, at the age of 89. Sharif was suffering from chronic heart disease and underwent angioplasty twice. In 1982, he had his first heart bypass. His funeral took place in Masjid al-Haram on 30 October 2004. He is buried in Raiwind, Lahore.