Born on December 25, 1949, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sharif comes from a wealthy family. He received his education at the Forman Christian College in Lahore and the Government College University in Lahore. After completing his studies, Sharif went into business and became a successful industrialist.

Sharif entered politics in the 1970s. He joined the Muslim League and quickly rose through the ranks of the party. In 1990, he was elected Prime Minister for the first time.

Sharif's first term as Prime Minister was marked by economic growth and development. However, his government was also accused of corruption and mismanagement. In 1993, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Sharif from office on charges of corruption. He was re-elected Prime Minister in 1997. His second term was marked by tensions with the military, culminating in a military coup in 1999 led by General Pervez Musharraf. Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia.

Sharif spent eight years in exile in Saudi Arabia. He returned to Pakistan in 2007 and was welcomed by large crowds of supporters. However, he was soon arrested and charged with corruption.

He was released from prison in 2009 and went on to win the 2013 general elections. His third term was also plagued by corruption scandals and allegations of human rights abuses.

In 2016, Sharif was named in the Panama Papers, a massive leak of confidential financial documents. The documents revealed that Sharif's family had offshore accounts worth millions of dollars. Sharif denied any wrongdoing, but he was disqualified from office by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2017.