List of Prime Ministers of Pakistan

The Prime Minister of Pakistan is the political leader of the country and the principle head of
government of the State of Pakistan. The office holder is responsible for nominating all other
members of the government, chairing Cabinet meetings and deciding when to call a
new general election for the National Assembly.[1] The office of Prime Minister was created
immediately after the establishment of Pakistan, according to the Indian Independence Act, in
1947.[2]
Liaquat Ali Khan was appointed as the first Prime Minister by the Governor-General in 1947.
However, his term ended when he was assassinated in 1951.[3] Seven different Prime Ministers
served between 1951 and 1957. The office was dissolved by Iskander Mirza in 1958 until Yahya
Khan appointed Nurul Amin as a Prime Minister in 1971, although he held the post for only
thirteen days.[4][5][6] Under the 1973 constitution of Pakistan, the post was recreated and Zulfikar
Ali Bhuttobecame the Prime Minister. Bhutto was overthrown by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq during
the Operation Fair Play in 1977, the position abolished and Zia became Chief Martial Law
Administrator.[7] Muhammad Khan Junejo was appointed as Prime Minister by Zia in 1985, and
subsequently dismissed under the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan in 1988.[8]
Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif predominantly held the position between 1988 and 1999. Both
were elected for two non-consecutive terms each: Bhutto held the position during 198890 and
199396;[9] and Sharif held the post during 199093 and 1997
99.[10] With thirteenth and fourteenth amendments to the constitution, Sharif became the most
powerful Prime Minister in country's history since independence in 1947.[11] He, during his two
terms, remained in the office for the longest period.[2] Sharif was overthrown by Pervez
Musharraf through a military coup d'tat in 1999.[12]
The post was empty until Zafarullah Khan Jamali took the office after the 2002 elections.[13] The
current Prime Minister of Pakistan is Raja Pervez Ashraf of thePakistan Peoples Party, who was
elected on 25 June 2012, after the disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gillani by the Supreme Court
of Pakistan over contempt of court on 19 June 2012.[14][15] Of twenty-two Prime Ministers who
have held office since 1947, seventeen have elected by the National Assembly, and five have
served as caretakers.[2]
Symbol

Meaning

Caretaker Prime Minister

PML

Pakistan Muslim League

AL

Awami League

RP

Republican Party

PPP

Pakistan Peoples Party

NPP

National Peoples Party

PML (N)

Pakistan Muslim League (N)

PML (Q)

Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

INDT

Post abolished

Independent

Position abolished/vacant

Prime Ministers
Elect
ions
No.

Portrait

Name
(BirthDeath)

Took
office

Left
office

(Nation

Political party

al

(Alliance)

Note(s)

Assem
bly)

16
Liaquat Ali
14
Khan
August October
1951
1947
(18961951)
(Assassi

Pakistan
Muslim
League

PML

Indo-Pakistani War of
1947 andBalochistan
conflict: faced a war with
India on Kashmir conflict
in 194748 and the

nated)

Khawaja
17
Nazimuddi
17 April
October
n
1953
1951

Balochistan
conflict.[16][17]Five-year
plan: initiated science
and technology,
development of
educational
infrastructure, and
economic
policies.[18] Objectives
Resolution: presented a
prelude to future
constitutions in
the Constituent
Assembly.[19]

Pakistan
Muslim
League

PML

Nazimuddin
became Prime Minister
of Pakistan after
the assassination of
Liaquat Ali Khan in
1951. The Bengali
Language Movement, a
political movement, rose
in East Bengalduring his
term.[23]

PML

Relatively unknown
personality to Pakistani
politics, Bogra
replacedKhwaja
Nazimuddin as a Prime
Minister. He introduced
a form of
constitution, bicameral
legislature, known as
"Bogra Formula".[25]

(18941964)

Muhamma
d Ali
17 April
Bogra
1953
(19091963)

12
August
1955

Pakistan
Muslim
League

Chaudhry
12
12
Muhamma
August Septemb
d Ali
1955 er 1956

Pakistan
Muslim
League

PML

(19051980)

5
(left)

Huseyn
12
Shaheed
17
Septem
Suhraward
October
ber
y
1957
1956

Awami
League

AL

Ali merged the four

provinces of West
Pakistan into One
Unit.[27] His greatest
achievement was the
formation of a
new constitution for
Pakistan.[28]

Suhrawardy established
the Pakistan Atomic
Energy
Commission.[30][31]

(18921963)

Ibrahim
Ismail
17
16
Chundriga October Decemb
r
1957 er 1957

Pakistan
Muslim
League

PML

(18981968)

Feroz
Khan
Noon
(18931970)

Post
abol
ishe
d (7
Oct
ober
195

16
7
Decem
October
ber
1958
1957

Republican
Party

RP

Chundrigar was
appointed byIskander
Mirza after the
resignation of
Suhrawardy.

Noon was elected as the

seventhPrime Minister of
Pakistan.[34] He was
dismissed during
the 1958 Pakistani coup
d'tat.[5]

87
Dec
emb
er
197
1)

Nurul
Amin
(18931974)

Post
abol
ishe
d
(20
Dec
emb
er
197
1
14
Aug
ust
197
3)

7
7
20
Decem
Dece
Decemb
ber
mber
er 1971
1971
1970

Pakistan
Muslim
League

PML

Amin was appointed

by Yahya Khanas the
eighth Prime Minister of
Pakistan, he was also
the first and the
only Vice President of
Pakistanfrom 1970 till
1972, leading Pakistan
in Indo-Pakistani War of
1971.

Zulfikar Ali
14
Bhutto
August
1973
(19281979)

5 July
1977

14
Augu
st
1973

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

PPP

The founder
of Pakistan's atomic
bomb programme, and
Father of Nuclear
deterrence
programme.[35]He made
the constitution of
Pakistanin
1973,[36] introduced land
and agriculture reforms,
and socialist
economics policies.[37] H
e was deposed in
the 1977 Pakistani coup
d'tat by
General Muhammad
Zia-ul-Haq in July
1977.[7]

Post
abol
ishe
d (5
July
197
7
24
Mar
ch
198
5)

10

Muhamma
24
d Khan
March
Junejo
1985
(19321993)

28 Independent
29 May Febr (Pakistan
1988
uary
Muslim
1985
League)

INDT

Junejo was elected as

also tenthPrime Minister
of Pakistan in non-party
based elections in

1985.[40]

Post
abol
ishe
d
(24
Mar
ch
198
52
Dec
emb
er
198
8)

11

Benazir
Bhutto
(19532007)

Ghulam
Mustafa
Jatoi

2
16
Decem 6 August Nove
ber
1990 mber
1988
1988

6
6
August Novemb
1990 er 1990

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

National
Peoples
Party

PPP

Bhutto became the first

woman in Pakistan to
head a major political
party, in 1988. Six years
later, she became
the first woman elected
to lead a Muslim
state.[41]

NPP

Jatoi was appointed

by PresidentGhulam
Ishaq Khan as
a Caretaker Prime
Minister.

(19312009)

12

Nawaz
Sharif
(1949 )

6
Novem
ber

Pakistan
18 April 24
Muslim
Octo
1993
League (N)
ber

PML
(N)

Sharif was elected as

the 12th Prime Minister
of Pakistan on 1
November

1990

Balakh
Sher
Mazari

1990.[44] Sharif
launched privatisationan
d economic
liberalisation to elevate
the national economy,
and strengthened
the private-sector of the
country.[45]

1990

18 April 26 May
1993
1993

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

PPP

(19282011)

(12)

Nawaz
Sharif
(1949 )

26 May
1993

24
Pakistan
18 July Octo
Muslim
1993
ber
League (N)
1990

PML
(N)

Appointed by the
President Khan as a
Caretaker Prime
Minister, Mazari's term
ended when the
Supreme Court
overturned the
Presidential order and
restored Sharif's
Government.

Sharif survived a serious

constitutional crisis
when President Khan
attempted to dismiss
him under the article 582b, in April 1993, but he
successfully challenged
the decision in
the Supreme
Court.[45] Sharif resigned
from the post negotiating
a settlement that
resulted in the removal
of President as well, in
July 1993.[48]

Moeenudd
19
in Ahmad 18 July
October
Qureshi
1993
1993

Independent

INDT

After Sharif's resignation

in July 1993, Qureshi
was appointed as the
Caretaker Prime
Minister.

PPP

Bhutto was re-elected

for a second term, in
1993. She survived an
attempted coup d'tat in
1995, and stubbornness
and authoritative actions
earned her the
nickname "Iron Lady" of
the country.[50]

PPP

Khalid was appointed as

a Caretaker Prime
Minister after the
dismissal of Bhutto's
Government in
November 1993.

(1930 )

(11)

Benazir
Bhutto
(19532007)

Malik
Meraj
Khalid
(19162003)

(12)

Nawaz
Sharif
(1949 )

6
19
5
Octo
October Novemb
ber
1993 er 1996
1993

5
17
Novem
February
ber
1997
1996

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

3
17
12
Pakistan
Febr
Februar October
Muslim
uary
y 1997
1999
League (N)
1997

PML
(N)

Sharif was re-elected as

Prime Minister
the exclusive
mandate from all over
the Pakistan for a nonconsecutive second
term, in February
1997.[11][53] He notably
ordered Pakistan's
first nuclear tests in
response
to India's second
nuclear tests, in May

1998.[54][55] Sharif's
Government was
deposed
by GeneralPervez
Musharraf in October
1999, and the Martial
law was imposed in the
entire country.[12][56]

Post
abol
ishe
d
(12
Oct
ober
199
9
21
Nov
emb
er
200
2)

13

Zafarullah
21
10
Pakistan
Khan
Novem 26 June Octo
Muslim
Jamali
ber
2004
ber
League (Q)
2002
2002
(1944 )

PML
(Q)

Jamali was elected as

the Prime Minister of
Pakistan in November
2002. He continued
the foreign andeconomic
policies of Pervez
Musharraf but could not
complete his term and
resigned from the post in
June 2004.

14
(right)

Chaudhry
20
Shujaat 30 June
August
Hussain
2004
2004
(1946 )

15

Shaukat
Aziz
(1949 )

16

10
20
16
Pakistan
Octo
August Novemb
Muslim
ber
2004 er 2007
League (Q)
2002

Muhamma
16
d Mian
Novem
Soomro
ber
2007
(1950 )

Yousaf
Raza
Gillani
(1952 )

10
Pakistan
Octo
Muslim
ber
League (Q)
2002

25
March
2008

25
March
2008

18
26 April Febr
2012
uary
2008

Pakistan
Muslim
League (Q)

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

PML
(Q)

PML
(Q)

PML
(Q)

PPP

Shujaat was elected as

a Prime Minister after
the resignation of Jamali
in June 2004.

Aziz took the office

of Prime Minister of
Pakistan in August
2004. He survived an
assassination attempt in
the small town of Fateh
Jang, in the previous
month.[59] Aziz left the
office at the end of the
parliamentary term, in
November 2007, and
became the first Prime
Minister of Pakistan who
left seat after completion
of parliamentary term.[60]

Soomro took the office

as caretaker Prime
Minister in Novrember
2007.

Gillani was elected after

in March 2008 after the
elections. During his
term, Chief
Justice Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry's
position was restored,
after the former Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's
long march.[63] He was

disqualified from his seat

in the parliament in April
2012 by the Supreme
Court for contempt of
court.[64]

Raja
Pervaiz
Ashraf

17

(1950 )

18
22 June Incumbe Febr
2012
nt
uary
2008

Pakistan
Peoples
Party

PPP

Ashraf is
the incumbent Prime
Minister of Pakistan. He
assumed the post in
June 2012, after Yousaf
Raza Gillani was
disqualified over
contempt of court
charges.[14]

List of Presidents of Pakistan

#

Name

Portrait Entered office

Left office

Political party

23 March 1956

27 October
1958[1]

Republican Party

27 October
1958

8 June 1962

Military

(BirthDeath)

Iskander Mirza
(18991969)

Ayub Khan
(19071974)

(2)

Yahya Khan

8 June 1962

25 March
1969[2]

Pakistan Muslim League

(Convention)

25 March 1969

20 December
1971[3]

Military

20 December
1971

13 August
1973[4]

Pakistan Peoples Party

14 August
1973

16 September
1978[5]

Pakistan Peoples Party

16 September
1978

17 August
1988[6]

Military

17 August
1988

18 July 1993[7]

Independent

18 July 1993

14 November
1993

Pakistan Muslim League

(N)

(19171980)

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

(19281979)

Fazal Ilahi
Chaudhry
(19041982)

Muhammad Zia-ulHaq
(19241988)
(right)

Ghulam Ishaq
Khan
(19152006)

Wasim Sajjad
(1941)

Farooq Leghari
(19402010)

Wasim Sajjad
(1941)

Muhammad Rafiq
Tarar

14 November
1993

2 December
1997[8]

Pakistan Peoples Party

2 December
1997

1 January 1998

Pakistan Muslim League

(N)

1 January 1998 20 June 2001[9]

Pakistan Muslim League

(N)

(1929)

10

20 June 2001

6 October 2007

Military

6 October 2007

18 August
2008[10]

Pakistan Muslim League

(Q)

18 August
2008

9 September
2008

Pakistan Muslim League

(Q)

9 September
2008

Incumbent

Pakistan Peoples Party

Pervez Musharraf
(1943)

(10)

Muhammad Mian
Soomro
(1950)

11

Asif Ali Zardari

(1955)