Friendship with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy.

Nawaz Sharif

Ousted in a 1999 military coup, Nawaz Sharif became Pakistan's prime minister for a record third term after staging a triumphant comeback in parliamentary elections in 2013. It was also a historic moment for Pakistan as it was the first transition from one democratically elected government to another since independence in 1947. But his last period in office was marred by upheavals - starting with a six-month opposition blockade of the capital Islamabad, and ending with court proceedings over corruption allegations which eventually led to the Supreme Court disqualifying him in July 2017. His resignation followed shortly afterwards. In July 2018 he was found allegedly guilty of corruption by a court in Pakistan and sentenced to 10 years in prison in a controversial judgment. Nawaz Sharif, 67, has been one of the country's leading politicians for most of the past 30 years. Before winning his third term, Sharif served as prime minister from 1990 to 1993 and from 1997 until the 1999 bloodless coup. President of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and owner of Ittefaq Group, a leading steel mill conglomerate, he is among the country's wealthiest industrialists. A protégé of military leader Gen Zia ul-Haq - who ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988 - Sharif is perhaps best known outside Pakistan for ordering the country's first nuclear tests in 1998.

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