Nawaz Sharif, the 'Lion of Punjab' who never got to roar

Sharif's second term from 1997 ended in 1999 when then Army chief Pervez Musharraf staged a coup

Shilpi Majumdar 

Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif

became the for a record three times, but every time he was forced to quit in the middle of his term — first by the Presidency, then military and now judiciary. Sharif (67) had served as the PM for the first time from 1990-1993. In July, he resigned under pressure from the army but made a settlement that resulted in the removal of Conservative President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Sharif’s second term from 1997 ended in 1999 when then Army chief Pervez Musharraf staged a coup. Sharif ended up in jail, convicted of hijacking charges for trying to stop a plane carrying Musharraf from landing. He then went into exile in Saudi Arabia and did not return to Pakistan until 2007, when he teamed up with Pakistan Peoples Party to force Musharraf from office. Sharif assumed power for the third term in 2013. 

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