Prime ministers and presidents OF PAKISTAN-TIMELINE PRESIDENTS & PRIME MINISTERS -Fusionstories

 

RULERS OF PAKISTAN-TIMELINE PRESIDENTS & PRIME MINISTERS
 

Pakistan came into being on 14th August 1947 as a Dominion within the British Commonwealth. According to Indian Act 1947, British monarch was head of state in Pakistan. The representative of British monarch was called Governed General. The time was given to countries Pakistan & India to establish constitution & sound government systems in the state. Pakistan Muslim League was a representative political party that acquired power from British and first President and Prime Minister were selected from PML. There were five provinces at the time of independence. The part comprised four provinces Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan was known as West Pakistan and a fifth Province Bengal was mostly known as East Pakistan. Pakistan lost East Pakistan in 1971, in a result of war with India. Now Pakistan has four provinces with administered areas of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Pakistan has experimented on varied structures to run the government including 3 martial laws until now.

         

 Before telling you the list of rulers; presidents and prime ministers of Pakistan since 1947, we’ll explain a few terms for you:

 

What is a Republic?

It is a name given to state or country where people elect their representatives through elections. The presidents and prime ministers are chosen from elected members instead of monarch system. Mostly, Prime Minister has sole powers in government whereas president enjoys ceremonial status as a head of state with defined responsibilities.

 

What is Martial Law?

Martial law is an action of overthrowing the elected civilian government by the military to gain the direct control on civilian decisions. Mostly, the Army chief declares himself as a head of state over ruling the constitution. National assembly is dissolved and military officer start running the affairs of state. The Martial law can be temporary or long like it happened in Pakistan.

 

 What is constitution & how much constitution Pakistan have until now?

 

A constitution of any country is a body, a written document containing basic principles, legal & political rules; power-sharing formulas to guide the governments, establishment, judiciary and common people to govern and run the system.

Pakistan has experimented on three constitutions 1956, 1962 and 1973 (present constitution) until now.

Pakistan rulers since 1947 have named governor general, president and prime ministers.

The given Timeline of Presidents and Prime Ministers of Pakistan will give you an idea of immaturity of representatives to run the affairs of state.

Note: Caretaker prime ministers and interim Presidents are not counted in numbers of rulers of Pakistan.

 

TIMELINE RULERS OF PAKISTAN

 

1947

 

14th August 1947

Monarch: King George VI

  1st Governor General: Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Pakistan Muslim League PML)

1st Prime Minister: Liaquat Ali Khan (Party: PML)

 

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (left) Liaquat Ali Khan(right) 

1948

11th September 1948

Quaid e Azam died

2nd Governor General: Sir Khawaja Nizamudin (PML)

Prime Minister: Liaquat Ali Khan

 

1951

16th October 1951

Liaquat Ali Khan assassinated in Rawalpindi

Notice the shift of power here:

17th October 1951

3rd Governor General: Sir Malik Ghulam Muhammad (Pakistan Muslim league)

2nd Prime Minister: Sir Khawaja Nizamudin

 

1952

6th February 1952

King George Died

Monarch: Queen Elizabeth

 

1953

 

17th April 1953

Governor General Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Prime Minister Khawaja Nizamuddin

(This act seeded the immoral tradition of terminating elected Prime Ministers that Pakistan can’t rid of it even after 74 years of its birth)

 

Governor General: Ghulam Muhammad (Muslim league)

3rd Prime Minister: Muhammad Ali Bogra

 

1954

24th Oct 1954

Governor General Ghulam Muhammad dissolved constituent assembly of Muhammad Ali Bogra.

 

1955

 

It was a year full of political instability. First Martial Law was imposed.

7th August 1955

 President Ghulam Muhammad resigns

Military Chief Major General Sikandar Mirza took the office and declares himself Governor General.

4th Governor General: Sikandar Mirza, (Military Chief)

12th August 1955

Muhammad Ali Bogra resigned

4th Prime Minister: Chaudhary Muhammad Ali

 

1956

23rd March 1956

Pakistan first constitution was passed.

Pakistan became a republic state.

British Monarch was ended and title of governor general and monarch were replaced by a President. Military Chief Sikandar Mirza title shifted from governor General to President.

Note from here we’ll show list of presidents from start, however you can add 4 Governor Generals in a total number.

 

1st President:  Sikandar Mirza (Republican Party)

12 Sept 1956

Chaudhary Muhammad Ali resigns

5th Prime minister: Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy (Awami league)

 

1957

President:  Sikandar Mirza (Republican Party)

17th October 1957

Prime Minister Hussain Shaheed resigned.

6th Prime Minister: Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (Muslim League)

11th Dec 1957

 Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar resigned

16th Dec 1957

7th Prime Minister:  Malik Feroz Noon (Republican Party)

 

Note: Pakistan changed 7 prime ministers in 7 years. Most prime ministers were pressurized to resign. Sikandar Mirza dismissed 4 prime ministers in a row.

 

1958

First Marshal Law in Pakistan

7th Oct 1958

President Sikandar Mirza (Republican Party) abrogates constitution and imposed Martial Law. Prime Minister Feroz Noon was dismissed.

24th October 1958

8th prime minister: Ayub Khan was declared himself a Prime Minister

October 27 1958

 Iskander Mirza's Presidency was abolished and he was sent into exile.

Ayub Khan declares himself a President.

The seat of Prime minister was abolished.

 

1958_25 March 1969

 

2nd President: General Ayub Khan

Prime Minister: Not any

 

1969

25 March 1969

 President Ayub khan handed over government to Army chief Yahya Khan.

3rd President: General Yahya Khan

 

Unfortunately, there was no any Prime Minister in Pakistan from 7th October 1958-7 December 1971. General Ayub khan & Martial Law ruled for 10 years.

 

1970

First general elections held in country first ever general elections were held on 7th December 1970

 

1971

 

7th December 1971

9th Prime Minister: Nur ul Amin(PPP)

20th December 1971

Nur ul Amin and yahya khan resigned

4th President: Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan People’s Party)

Again there is no prime minister from 20 December 1971 – 14 August 1973

It took one year to decide the Prime minister after first general elections. A tug of war for power in East Pakistan & West Pakistan tensed the situation that Pakistan had to lose East Pakistan for forever on 16th December 1971 in a result of war with India.

 

1973-1977

 

3rd constitution was passed where Prime Minister was a center of power.

 

13th August 1973

 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto resigns of presidency to take a seat of Prime minister.

  14th August 1973

 10th Prime Minister: Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

5th President: Fazal Elahi Chaudhry

 

1977

5th July 1977

Military Chief Zia ul Haq imposed 2^nd Martial Law and Army took the office in hand. 

Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sent to exile.

 

1978

4th April 1978

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death

6th September 1978

President Fazal Elahi resigned.

16th September 1978

General Zia ul Haq became President of Pakistan.

6th President: General Zia ul Haq

 

Again Prime Minister was most unwanted person in the government, so there was no prime minister from

5 July 1977 – 24 March 1985

 

1985

 

Military president was pressurized to hold general elections. A referendum called general election was held on February 1985, the country to share the power.

 

24th March 1985

President: Zia ul Haq

11th Prime Minister: Muhammad Khan Junejo

The 1973 constitution was restored but President Zia ul Haq was successful to add 8th amendment in the constitution, to secure the powers of president. According to 8th amendment that president can dismiss Prime minister as well as whole assembly at any time with a single order.

 

1988

 

29th May 1988

 

Military chief as well as president Zia ul Haq dismissed Muhammad Khan Junejo and dissolved national assembly.

 

17th August 1988

President Zia ul Haq died in plane crash that ended 11 year long 2nd Martial Law in Pakistan.

Interim President: Ghulam Ishaq Khan

 General Elections were held on 16th November 1988. Pakistan People’s Party won the elections.

7th President: Ghulam Ishaq Khan

2 December 1988

12th Prime Minister: Benazir Bhutto; eldest daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan people’s party)

 

1990

6th August 1990

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan used 8th amendment and dismissed Benezir Bhutto government against the charges of incompetence and corruption.

President: Ghulam Ishaq Khan

Caretaker Prime Minister: Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi

General Elections were held in October 1990. Pakistan Muslim League –N won the elections.

6th November 1990

13th Prime Minister: Mian Nawaz Sharif ( PML-N)

 

1992

19th April 1992

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan again used 8th amendment article 58 2 B, and dismissed Nawaz Sharif government.

Benazir Bhutto & Nawaz Sharif

President: Ghulam Ishaq Khan

Caretaker Prime Minister: Mir Balakh Sher Mazari

26th May 1992

Nawaz Sharif government reinstated on the orders of supreme court

 July 18 1993

Nawaz Sharif and Ghulam Ishaq khan resigned on pressure from military. Also National and Provincial assemblies were dissolved.

July 18, 1992

Interim President: Waseem Sajjad (Pakistan Muslim League)

Care Taker Prime Minister: Moin Qureshi

 

1993

 6th October 1993

October 19, 1993

14th Prime Minister: Benazir Bhutto(Pakistan people’s party)

November 14 1993

Waseem Sajjad resigned.

8th president: Farooq Leghari

 

1996

5th November 1996

Farooq Leghari use power of 8th amendment and dismissed elected government accuses her government of corruption and nepotism under the Article 58(2) B of the Eighth Amendment.

President: Farooq Leghari

Caretaker Prime Minister: Meraj Khalid

 

1997

February 1997, another General Elections with only break of three years held.

18th February 1997

15th Prime Minister: Mian Nawaz Sharif

 Controversial Eighth Amendment is repealed,

2nd December 1997

President Farooq Leghari  resigned.

 

1998

11^th President: Mohammad Rafiq Tarar   

Prime Minister: Mian Nawaz Sharif

 

1999

Pakistan faced its 3^rd Marshal Law

 

12th October 1999

Military overthrew Nawaz Sharif. Army Chief Pervaiz Musharraf overtook the government and declared himself as Chief Executive & prime minister.

 

2001

 

20th June 2001

President Rafiq Tarrar resigned. Pervaiz Musharraf dissolved parliament and declares he a president.

12th President: Pervaiz Musharraf

 

2002

Musharaf secured his seat after referendum in 2002.

 

 October 2002

 General election held to get a hung parliament with a help of new party Pakistan Muslim League Quaid e Azam..

November 23 2002:

16th Prime Minister: Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali

President: Pervaiz Musharraf

2004

26th June 2004

Mir Zafarullah khan resigned

Caretaker Prime Minister: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain

28th August 2004

17th Prime Minister: Shaukat Aziz

 

For the first time in Pakistan history, any elected government secured 5 years of tenure. However, still there comes no stability regarding tenure of prime minister. Two prime ministers were changed in five years.

 

2008

 

18th august 2008

 Pervaiz Musharraf resigned.

General elections were held in February 2008. PPP won the election.

Interim president: Mian Muhammad Soomro

25th March 2008

18th Prime Minister: Yousaf Raza Gillani

9th September 2008

13th president: Asif Ali Zardari

Curse couldn’t be wiped from prime ministers of Pakistan

19th June 2012

Supreme Court disqualify Yousaf Raza Gillani

22nd June 2012

19th prime minister: Raja Pervaiz ashraf (PPP)

However, PPP government completed tenure of 5 years. The assembly was dissolved on completion of time.

 

2013

General elections were held on May 2013 after 5 years

 

President: Asif Ali Zardari

5th June 2013

20^th Prime Minister: Mian Nawaz Sharif

8th September 2013

14^th President: Mamnoon Hussain

 

2017

President: Mamnoon Hussain

Another prime minister couldn’t complete 5 years.

28th July 2017

Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif

1st August 2017

21st Prime Minister: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (PML-N)

 

2018- March 2021

The assembly was dissolved on completion of 5 years.

25th July 2018

General elections were held to elect the members of National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies.

18th August 2018

22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan (Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf)

9th September 2018

15th President of Pakistan: Arif Alvi

 

Additional Notes:

 

The head of any state is a person who has executive powers. It may be president in many states and somewhere it is prime minister who has hold on all powers. It depends on the constitution set by any country that which type of law will be followed in Pakistan.

Prime Minister was supposed to have executive powers according to constitution but due to unhinged power sharing towards presidents, and continuous intervention of military, not a single prime in Pakistan is able to complete its tenure of 5 years. Many presidents used their powers to dismiss the elected prime ministers. Somewhere military or judiciary hindered the smooth flow of government in Pakistan.