List of Presidents of Pakistan Since 1947

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The President of Pakistan is constitutionally the head of the state. The recently passed 18th Amendment has restored Pakistan’s government system as democratic, whereby the President is chosen by the Electoral College, which consists of the Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies, for a five-year term. Thus, the President of Pakistan is truly a complete representative figure in the government having the highest authority to run the government. The Prime Minister of Pakistan runs the state. The President of Pakistan is also the Chairman of the National Security Council, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The post also gives the President power to appoint the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Colonel-Commandant Marines. The President of Pakistan is not allowed to serve more than two consecutive terms and he/she can be impeached and removed from the post if the two-third majority of the Parliament decides so. In Pakistan’s history, exchange of central chief executive powers have always jostled between the President and the Prime Minister often implementing changes through various amendments in the Constitution. Here is a complete list of all the Presidents of Pakistan since 1947.

1. Iskander Mirza (1899–1969)

In Office: 23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958 Total Duration: 2 Years, 7 Months, 4 Days Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Republican Party

 

2. Ayub Khan (1907–1974)

In Office: 27 October 1958 – 25 March 1969 Total Duration: 10 Years, 4 Months, 26 Days Status: Military Dictator Political Party: None

  3. Yahya Khan (1917–1980)

In Office: 25 March 1969 – 20 December 1971 Total Duration: 2 Years, 8 Months, 25 Days Status: Military Dictator Political Party: None 

  4. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928–1979)

In Office: 20 December 1971 – 13 August 1973 Total Duration: 1 Year, 7 Months, 24 Days Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Pakistan Peoples Party  

5. Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry (1904–1982)

In Office: 13 August 1973 – 16 September 1978 Total Duration: 5 Years, 1 Month, 3 Days Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Pakistan Peoples Party 

  6. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1924–1988)

In Office: 16 September 1978 – 17 August 1988 Total Duration: 9 Years, 11 Months, 1 Day Status: Military Dictator Political Party: None 

  7. Ghulam Ishaq Khan (1915–2006)

In Office: 17 August 1988 – 18 July 1993 Total Duration: 4 Years, 11 Months, 1 Day Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Independent   Wasim Sajjad (Born 1941) In Office: 18 July 1993 – 14 November 1993 Total Duration: 3 Months, 27 Days Status: Acting Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (N) 

  8. Farooq Leghari (1940–2010)

In Office: 14 November 1993 – 2 December 1997 Total Duration: 4 Years, 18 Days Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Pakistan Peoples Party   Wasim Sajjad (Born 1941) In Office: 2 December 1997 – 1 January 1998 Total Duration: 29 Days Status: Acting Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (N) 

  9. Muhammad Rafiq Tarar (Born 1929)

In Office: 1 January 1998 – 20 June 2001 Total Duration: 3 Years, 5 Months, 19 Days Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (N)  

 

10. Pervez Musharraf (Born 1943)

In Office: 20 June 2001 – 18 August 2008 Total Duration: 7 Years, 1 Month, 29 Days Status: Military Dictator Political Party: Later affiliated with Pakistan Muslim League (Q)   Muhammad Mian Soomro (Born 1950) In Office: 18 August 2008 – 9 September 2008 Total Duration: 22 Days Status: Acting Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (Q) 

  11. Asif Ali Zardari (Born 1955)

In Office: 9 September 2008 – 8 September 2013 Total Duration: 5 Years Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Pakistan People’s Party 

  12. Mamnoon Hussain (Born 1940) Mamnoon Hussain    

        In Office: 9 September 2013 – Incumbent Total Duration: 6 months, 3 days and counting Status: Elected democratically Political Party: Pakistan Muslim League (N)   Longest Time Served by a Democratically Elected President: Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry (5 Years, 1 Month, 3 Days) Shortest Time Served by a Democratically Elected President: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1 Year, 7 Months, 24 Days) Number of Democratically Elected Presidents: 7 Total Duration of Democratically Elected Presidents: 22 Years, 37 Months, 95 Days or in aggregation 25 Years, 10 Months, 18 Days Longest Time Served by a Military President: Ayub Khan (10 Years, 4 Months, 26 Days) Shortest Time Served by a Military President: Yahya Khan (2 Years, 8 Months, 25 Days) Number of Military Presidents: 4 Total Duration of Military Presidents: 28 Years, 24 Months, 81 Days or in aggregation 30 Years, 2 Months, 21 Days Longest Time Served by an Acting President: Wasim Sajjad (3 Months, 27 Days) Shortest Time Served by an Acting President: Muhammad Mian Soomro (22 Days) Number of Acting Presidents: 2 Number of Times Acting Presidents Came: 3 (Two times Wasim Sajjad became the Acting President) Total Duration of Acting Presidents: 3 Months, 78 Days or in aggregation 5 Months, 18 Days Political Party Having the Most Number of Serving Presidents: 4 from Pakistan Peoples Party (Also 4 times military dictators became presidents). Total Duration of Presidents from Pakistan Peoples Party: 13 Years, 14 Months, 72 Days or in aggregation 14 Years, 4 Months, 12 Days



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