Complete List of Prime Ministers of Pakistan

At the time of Pakistan’s independence post of Prime Minister was created. Since the post of Governor-General was exists   at the beginning, Prime Minister initially did not have all executive powers. After the assassination of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951, there came seven different Prime Ministers within a period of six years and all of them were from Muslims League except Sir Feroz Khan Noon, who was from the Republican Party. Then after the military coup of General Ayub Khan, the post of Prime Minister was abolished for a long period i.e 13 years and 2 months till 1971.

There was a very short period of recreation of the post when Nurul Amin was appointed as Prime Minister for only 13 days and alongside him, General Yahya Khan also illegally made both Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Mujibur Rehman vice Prime Ministers, however they never acquired these positions. Currently, under the 18th Amendment passed in 2010, Prime Minister is the head of the state of Pakistan and holds more power than any other government official, including the President. Following is the complete list of Prime Ministers of Pakistan since 1947.

 

    1.     Liaquat Ali Khan (1896 – 1951)

Took office: 14 August 1947

Left office:  16 October 1951(Assassinated)

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Muslim League

Total Duration: 4 Years, 2 Months, 2 Days

 Achievements / Major events.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 and Balochistan conflict: faced a war with India on Kashmir conflict in 1947–48 and the Balochistan conflict.

 Five-year plan: initiated science and technology, development of educational infrastructure, and economic policies

 Objectives Resolution: presented a prelude to future constitutions in the Constituent Assembly

  

   2.    Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (1894 – 1964)

Took office: 17 October 1951

Left office: 17 April 1953

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Muslim League

Total Duration: 01 Years 4 months.

Achievements / Major events.

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 Bengal during his term.

 

   3.     Muhammad Ali Bogra (1909 – 1963)

Took office: 17 April 1953

Left office: 12 August 1955

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Muslim League

Total Duration: 2 Years, 2 Months, 26 Days.

Achievements / Major events.

M.Ali Bogra replaced Khwaja Nazimuddin as a Prime Minister. He introduced a form of constitution, bicameral legislature, known as "Bogra Formula

    4.     Chaudhry Muhammad Ali (1905 – 1980)

Took office: 12 August 1955

Left office: 12 September 1956

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Muslim League

Total Duration: 1 Year, 1 Month exactly

Achievements / Major events.

Chaudary Muhammad Ali merged the four provinces of West Pakistan into One Unit. His greatest achievement was the formation of a new constitution for Pakistan.

    5.     Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1892 – 1963)

Took office: 12 September 1956

Left office: 17 October 1957

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Awami League

Total Duration: 1 Year, 1 Month 5 days.

Achievements / Major events.

Suhrawardy established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

     6.     Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (1898 – 1968)

Took office: 17 October 1957

Left office: 16 December 1957

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Muslim League

Total Duration: 1 Month, 29 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Chundrigar was appointed by Iskander Mirza after the resignation of Suhrawardy.

     7.     Sir Feroz Khan Noon (1893 – 1970)

Took office: 16 December 1957

Left office: 7 October 1958

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Republican Party

Total Duration: 9 Months, 21 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Feroz Khan Noon was elected as the seventh Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was dismissed during the 1958 Pakistani coup d'état .

Post of Prime Minister was abolished (7 October 1958–7 December 1971)

Total Duration of Abolishment: 13 Years, 2 Months exactly

    8.     Nurul Amin (1893 – 1974)

Took office: 7 December 1971

Left office: 20 December 1971

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League

Total Duration: 13 Days Only

Achievements / Major events.

Nurul Amin was appointed by Yahya Khan as the eighth Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was also the first and the only Vice President of Pakistan from 1970 till 1972, leading Pakistan in Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Post of Prime Minister was abolished (20 December 1971–14 August 1973)

Total Duration of Abolishment: 1 Year, 7 Months, 25 Days

    9.     Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928 – 1979)

Took office: 14 August 1973

Left office: 5 July 1977

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan People’s Party

Total Duration: 3 Years, 10 Months, 21 Days

Achievements / Major events.

The founder of Pakistan's atomic bomb programme and Father of Nuclear deterrence programme. He made the constitution of Pakistan in 1973, introduced land and agriculture reforms, and socialist economics policies.  He was deposed in the 1977 Pakistani coup d'état by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in July 1977.

Post  of Prime Minister was abolished (5 July 1977–24 March 1985)

Total Duration of Abolishment: 7 Years, 8 Months, 19 Days

    10.     Muhammad Khan Junejo (1932 – 1993)

Took office: 24 March 1985

Left office: 29 May 1988

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Independent; Pakistan Muslim League

Total Duration: 3 Years, 2 Months, 5 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Junejo was elected as also tenth Prime Minister of Pakistan in non-party based elections in 1985

Post of Prime Minister was abolished (29 May 1988 – 2 December 1988)

Total Duration of Abolishment: 6 Months, 3 Days

    11.        Benazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007)

Took office: 2 December 1988

Left office: 6 August 1990

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan People’s Party

Total Duration: 1 Year, 8 Months, 4 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Benazir 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.

 Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (1931 – 2009)

Took office: 6 August 1990

Left office: 6 November 1990

Status: Caretaker/Acting

Political Party: None

Total Duration: 3 Months exactly

    12.             Nawaz Sharif (Born 1949)

Took office: 6 November 1990

Left office: 18 April 1993

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (N), Islami Jamhoori  Ittehad *changed later

Total Duration: 2 Years, 5 Months, 12 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Nawaz Sharif was elected as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan on 6 November 1990. Sharif launched privatization and economic liberalization to elevate the national economy, and strengthened the private-sector of the country.

 Balakh Sher Mazari (Born 1928 )

Took office: 18 April 1993

Left office: 26 May 1993

Status: Caretaker/Acting

Political Party: None

Total Duration: 1 Month, 8 Days

 

 Nawaz’s Second Term:

Took office: 26 May 1993

Left office: 18 July 1993

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Elected democratically

Total Duration: 1 Month, 22 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Sharif survived a serious constitutional crisis when President Khan attempted to dismiss him under the article 58-2b, in April 1993, but he successfully challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. Sharif resigned from the post negotiating a settlement that resulted in the removal of President as well, in July 1993.

 Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi (Born 1930)

Took office: 18 July 1993

Left office: 19 October 1993

Status: Caretaker/Acting

Political Party: None

Total Duration: 3 Months, 1 Day exactly

 Benazir Bhutto’s Second Term:

Took office: 19 October 1993

Left office: 5 November 1996

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan People’s Party

Total Duration: 3 Years, 17 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Bhutto was re-elected for a second term, in 1993. She survived an attempted coup d'état in 1995, and rigor and authoritative actions earned her the nickname "Iron Lady" of the country

 Malik Meraj Khalid (1916 – 2003)

Took office: 5 November 1996

Left office: 17 February 1997

Status: Caretaker/Acting

Political Party: None

Total Duration: 3 Months, 12 Days

 

Nawaz’s Third Term:

Took office: 17 February 1997

Left office: 12 October 1999

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League(N)

Total Duration: 2 Years, 7 Months, 23 Days

Achievements / Major events.

Sharif was re-elected as Prime Minister the heavy mandate from all over the Pakistan for a non-consecutive second term, in February 1997. He notably ordered Pakistan's first nuclear tests in response to India's second nuclear tests, in May 1998. Sharif's Government was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf in October 1999, and the Martial law was imposed in the entire country.

Post of Prime Minister was abolished (12 October 1999 – 20 November 2002)

Total Duration of Abolishment: 3 Years, 1 Month, 8 Days

    13.            Zafarullah Khan Jamali (Born 1944)

Took office: 21 November 2002

Left office: 26 June 2004

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

Total Duration: 1 Year, 7 Months, 5 Days

Achievements / Major events

Zafarullah Jamali was elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in November 2002. He continued the foreign and economic policies of Pervez Musharraf but could not complete his term and resigned from the post in June 2004.

     14.        Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (Born 1946)

Took office: 30 June 2004

Left office: 20 August 2004

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

Total Duration: 1 Month, 21 Days

Achievements / Major events

Shujaat was elected as a Prime Minister after the resignation of Jamali in June 2004.

     15.       Shaukat Aziz (Born 1949)

Took office: 20 August 2004

Left office: 16 November 2007

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

Total Duration: 3 Years, 2 Months, 27 Days

Achievements / Major events

Shaukat 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. 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.

 Muhammad Mian Soomro (Born 1950)

Took office: 16 November 2007

Left office: 25 March 2008

Status: Caretaker/Acting

Political Party: None

Total Duration: 4 Months, 9 Days

     16.    Yousaf Raza Gillani (Born 1952)

Took office: 25 March 2008

Left office: 26 April 2012

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan People’s Party

Total Duration: 4 years and one month and one day

Achievements / Major events

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. He was disqualified from his seat in the parliament in April 2012 by the Supreme Court for contempt of court.

   17.                        Raja Pervaiz Ashraf

Took office: 26 April 2012

Left office:  Incumbent

Status: Elected democratically

Political Party: Pakistan People’s Party

Total Duration:

Achievements / Major events

Raja Ashraf is the incumbent Prime Minister of Pakistan. He assumed the post in June 2012, after Yousaf Raza Gillani was disqualified by the Supreme Court over contempt of court charges. 

Longest Time Served by a Prime Minister: Liaquat Ali Khan (4 Years, 2 Months, 2 Days)

Shortest Time Served by a Prime Minister: Nurul Amin (13 Days) during 1971 Bangladesh-Pakistan War

Total Duration of Democratic Prime Ministers: 30 Years, 51 Months, 254 Days or in aggregation 34 Years approximately.

Number of Times Prime Minister’s Post Abolished: 5 Times

Total Duration of the Post Abolishment: 24 Years, 24 Months, 53 Days or in aggregation 26 Years, 1 Month, 23 Days

Longest Post Abolishment Period: 13 Years, 2 Months during Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship

Shortest Post Abolishment Period: 6 Months, 3 Days after the death of Zia-ul-Haq

Number of Times Caretakers Came: 5 Times

Longest Time Served by a Caretaker: Muhammad Mian Soomro (4 Months, 9 Days)

Shortest Time Served by a Caretaker: Balakh Sher Mazari (1 Month, 8 Days)

Total Duration of Caretakers’ Terms: 14 Months, 30 Days or in aggregation 1 Year, 3 Months