[6] Mohammad Umer was born on 19 April 1955,[7] into a middle-class Muhajir family in Liaquatabad, Karachi.

[8] In 1976, he wrote the stage play Bionic Servant, inspired by the American TV series Six Million Dollar Man, where Moin Akhter was an actor, marking their first collaboration.

[8] Much of the success came from the fact that he started to record his stage shows and his videotapes were rented out in a similar manner to movies.

[15] On 10 September 2021, Pakistani television host and news anchor Waseem Badami posted a video of Shareef on Instagram where he requested the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan to facilitate cancer treatment for him overseas.

[16][17][18] Soon after the video came out, Indian singer Daler Mehndi also appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan for immediate treatment for Sharif.

[19][20] On 11 September 2021, the government formed a medical board to decide whether or not to send him abroad for treatment.

[29] Leading Pakistani in show business and political leaders offered their condolences including Mehwish Hayat, Hareem Farooq and Imran Khan.