The leaders of the Muslim League declined Lord Mountbatten, the last British viceroy of India, as Pakistan’s inaugural governor-general or head of state in August 1947. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah took oath as the first Governer General of Pakistan on 15 August 1947. After Jinnah, the nation witnessed several prominent personalities taking on this role, each leaving their mark on the nation’s journey. They navigated the nation through its initial challenges, working to consolidate the newly formed state and establish its identity. Iskander Mirza, a prominent diplomat, became the last Governor-General and the first President of Pakistan in 1956. His term marked the transition from the Governor-General’s position to a republic.
List of Governor Generals of Pakistan and their tenure
| Governor Generals of Pakistan | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah | 14.08.1947 to 11.09.1948 |
| 2 | Khawaja Nazimuddin | 14.09.1948 to 18.10.1951 |
| 3 | Mr. Ghulam Mohammed | 19.10.1951 to 06.08.1955 |
| 4 | Major General Iskandar Mirza | 07.08.1955 to 22.03.1956 |
Heads of State
The president of Pakistan is the head of state, nominal head of executive head and supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The President ensures that the country’s constitution is supported and followed as well as ensure that laws and government actions are in line with the Constitution. The President serves as a symbol of unity and sovereignty representing the whole nation. The office of President was introduced on 23 March 1956 and Iskander Mirza assumed as the first President (not elected) of Pakistan.
List of Presidents of Pakistan from 1956 to 2023
| Presidents of Pakistan | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major General Iskander Mirza | 23.03.1956 to 26.10.1958 |
| 2 | Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan | 27.10.1958 to 24.03.1969 |
| 3 | General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan | 25.03.1969 to 19.12.1971 |
| 4 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 20.12.1971 to 14.08.1973 |
| 5 | Fazal Elahi Chaudhry | 14.08.1973 to 15.09.1978 |
| 6 | General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq | 16.09.1978 to 16.08.1988 |
| 7 | Ghulam Ishaq Khan | 17.08.1988 to 08.07.1993 |
| Wasim Sajjad (Acting) | 18.07.1993 to 14.11.1993 | |
| 8 | Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari | 14.11.1993 to 01.12.1997 |
| Wasim Sajjad (Acting) | 02.12.1997 to 01.01.1998 | |
| 9 | Muhammad Rafiq Tarar | 01.01.1998 to 19.06.2001 |
| 10 | General Pervez Musharraf | 20.6.2001 to 17.08.2008 |
| Muhammad Mian Soomro (Acting) | 18.08.2008 to 09.09.2008 | |
| 11 | Asif Ali Zardari | 09.09.2008 to 08.09.2013 |
| 12 | Mamnoon Hussain | 09.09.2013 to 08.09.2018 |
| 13 | Arif Alvi | 09.09.2018 to date |
Prime Ministers of Pakistan
Liaquat Ali Khan was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan took oath on 15 August 1947. He was the 5th choice of Quaid-e-Azam as P.M. He served as the finance minister in the interim government of United India. Total of 23 Prime Ministers served Pakistan from 1947 to 2023. 23rd was Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.
List of PM of Pakistan from 1947 to 2023
| Prime Ministers of Pakistan | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liaqat Ali Khan | 15.08.1947 to 16.10.1951 |
| 2 | Khawaja Nazimuddin | 17.10.1951 To 17.04.1953 |
| 3 | Mohammad Ali Bogra | 17.04.1953 To 11.08.1955 |
| 4 | Ch. Mohammed Ali | 11.08.1955 To 12.09.1956 |
| 5 | Hussain Shaheed Suharwardi | 12.09.1956 To 18.10.1957 |
| 6 | Ibrahim Ismail Chaundrigar | 18.10.1957 To 16.12.1957 |
| 7 | Malik Feroz Khan Noon | 16.12.1957 To 07.10.1958 |
| 8 | Noor.ul.Amin | 07.12.1971 To 20.12.1971 |
| 9 | Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto | 14.08.1973 To 05.07.1977 |
| 10 | Muhammad Khan Junejo | 23.03.1985 To 29.05.1988 |
| 11 | Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto | 02.12.1988 To 06.08.1990 |
| 12 | Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif | 06.11.1990 To 18.04.1993 |
| Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif | 26.05.1993 To 08.07.1993 | |
| 13 | Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto | 19.10.1993 To 05.11.1996 |
| 14 | Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif | 17.02.1997 To 12.10.1999 |
| 15 | Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali | 23.11.2002 To 26.06.2004 |
| 16 | Chuadhary Shujaat Hussain | 30.06.2004 To 26.08.2004 |
| 17 | Shaukat Aziz | 28.08.2004 To 15.11.2007 |
| 18 | Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani | 25.03.2008 To 25.04.2012 |
| 19 | Raja Pervez Ashraf | 22.06.2012 To 24.03.2013 |
| 20 | Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif | 05.06.2013 To 28.07.2017 |
| 21 | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi | 01.08.2017 To 31.05.2018 |
| 22 | Imran Khan | 18.08.2018 To 10.04.2022 |
| 23 | Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif | 11.04.2022 To 14.08.2023 |
Caretaker Government in Pakistan
The caretaker government in Pakistan plays a crucial role in protecting the democratic principles of fairness, transparency, and equality. The purpose of this government is to ensure a smooth transition of power when the term of an elected government terminates. It assists as an interim executive with limited powers and responsibilities whose primarily focus is to supervise the election process, maintaining law and order and insure a level playing field for all political parties contesting in the upcoming election. So far, Pakistan experienced 8 caretaker Prime Ministers among which Ghulam Mustafa Khan Jatoi was the first to take charge and Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is the current and 8th caretaker PM of Pakistan.
List of Caretaker PM of Pakistan till 2023
| Caretaker PM of Pakistan | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghulam Mustafa Khan Jatoi | 06.08.1990 To 06.11.1990 |
| 2 | Mir Balakh Sher Mazari | 18.04.1993 To 26.05.1993 |
| 3 | Moin Qureshi | 08.07.1993 To 19.10.1993 |
| 4 | Malik Meraj Khalid | 06.11.1996 To 17.02.1997 |
| 5 | Muhammad Mian Soomro | 16.11.2007 To 24.03.2008 |
| 6 | Mir Hazar Khan Khoso | 25.03.2013 To 05.06.2013 |
| 7 | Justice (Retd) Nasir-ul-Mulk | 01.06.2018 To 18.08.2018 |
| 8 | Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar | 14.08.2023 To date |