Famous Pakistani Leaders

Imran Khan is the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was in office from 2018 to 2022. He is also the founder and chairman of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Before making an entry into politics, Imran Khan was an extremely popular international cricketer who led Pakistan to its first ever Cricket World Cup title in 1992. As a philanthropist, he established Pakistan’s first cancer hospital in Lahore.

Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who served as Pakistan's prime minister in two separate terms and became the first woman in a Muslim majority nation to lead a democratic government. She was assassinated, at the age of 54, and after her death has been revered by many as an icon for women's rights.

Pakistani barrister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto served as the prime minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. He had also been the president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. He founded and chaired the Pakistan People's Party. His reign witnessed the formation of Bangladesh and the signing of the Simla Agreement.

Fatima Jinnah was a Pakistani politician, stateswoman, and dental surgeon. She was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Fatima worked closely with her elder brother, who often sought the advice of his sister. Fatima Jinnah is also credited with co-founding the All Pakistan Women's Association, which aims at promoting the welfare of Pakistani women. 

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a Pashtun independence activist who opposed the British rule in India. A spiritual and political leader, Khan called for Hindu-Muslim unity in India and opposed the partition of India. Khan is still revered by many in India and Pakistan for his pacifist ideology. Many places in India are named in his honor.

Ayub Khan was a Pakistani politician who served as the President of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969. He also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army from 1951 to 1958. 

Hina Rabbani Khar is a Pakistani politician who became the first woman and the youngest person to serve as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan; she was in the office from 2011 to 2013. Prior to serving as the Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar also became the first female politician to present the national budget in 2009 while serving as the Minister of Finance of Pakistan.   

Asif Ali Zardari is a Pakistani politician who served as the president of Pakistan from 9 September 2008 to 9 September 2013. His tenure was widely criticized for his inability to control terrorism in Pakistan. He is the current president of a popular Pakistani political party called Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP).

The second governor-general and the second prime minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Nazimuddin had a short tenure due to his ineffective handling of the tense situation in his country. Born in Dacca, he had an elite education at Cambridge and was a qualified lawyer. He was also knighted by the British.

Tikka Khan, first Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, is noted for his military service during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is regarded as one of the chief architects of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. His role in the Operation Searchlight led the Time magazine to dub him as the Butcher of Bengal.      

Choudhry Rahmat Ali was a Pakistani nationalist best remembered for playing a key role in the creation of Pakistan. Regarded as the pioneer of Pakistan Movement, Rahmat Ali is credited with coining the name Pakistan. Rahmat Ali is also credited with conceptualizing the idea of Pakistan and for publishing the Pakistan Declaration in the form of a pamphlet in 1933.

Former Pakistani Army lieutenant-general Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi was also the last governor of East Pakistan. Remembered as the Jackal of Bengal, he led the Pakistani campaigns during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was accused of human rights violations and held responsible for Pakistan’s military failure.

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was a Pakistani statesman who served as the fifth prime minister of Pakistan from 1956 to 1957. A lawyer by profession, Suhrawardy played an important role in the Indian independence movement before the partition of India. Suhrawardy's influential role in the 1946 Calcutta Killings made him extremely unpopular in West Bengal, India. 

Iskander Mirza was a Pakistani civil servant and general who served as the first president of Pakistan. Mirza played an important role in the newly-created Pakistan in 1974. After the Partition of India, Mirza served as the first Defence Secretary and oversaw the military efforts during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948.

Nusrat Bhutto was the wife of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhurro. She was the First Lady of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.  Nusrat Bhutto also served as a senior member of the federal cabinet between 1988 and 1990.

A descendant of Persian ruler Nāder Shah, Yahya Khan started his career as a military man during World War II. At 34, following his participation in Pakistan’s war against India over Kashmir, he became Pakistan’s youngest brigadier general. He took over as the president in 1969 and imposed martial law.

Mamnoon Hussain was a Pakistani politician who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was nominated for the presidency by the Pakistan Muslim League party (PML(N)) and was elected through an indirect presidential election. As president, he maintained a very low-key profile and was rarely seen in the country’s political scene.  

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar who founded the non-governmental organization Minhaj-ul-Quran. A former politician, he is also credited with founding a political party called Pakistan Awami Tehreek. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has also served as a professor of constitutional law at the Punjab University in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad is a Pakistani politician who has served many important positions. After serving as the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting from 2004 to 2006, Ahmad served as Minister of Railways from 2006 to 2007. He served as the Minister of Railways again from 2018 to 2020. He served as the Minister of Interior from 2020 to 2022.

Muhammad Ali Bogra was a diplomat, politician, and statesman. He served as the prime minister of Pakistan from 1953 to 1955, during which he worked towards strengthening the bilateral relations between the United States and Pakistan. He also aimed at achieving peace with India by strengthening the military. Later in his career, he served as the foreign minister of Pakistan.

Murtaza Bhutto was a Pakistani politician best remembered as the founder and leader of a left-wing militant organization called Al-Zulfiqar. In 1981, Bhutto claimed responsibility for the hijacking of an airplane and the murder of fellow politician Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi. Murtaza Bhutto was shot dead in a police encounter on 20 September 1996 in Karachi.

Ghulam Ishaq Khan was a Pakistani bureaucrat and politician. He served as the seventh president of Pakistan from1988 to 1993. He graduated from Peshawar University and began a successful bureaucratic career, eventually venturing into politics. He was unpopular as a president and was forced to resign. He founded the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute, a private research university. 

Yousaf Raza Gillani is a Pakistani politician who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. One of the most controversial leaders in Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gillani was stripped of his position as the Prime Minister by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2012. His government was accused of corruption among other charges.

Asma Jahangir was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist. She was a co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. A lawyer by profession, she played a prominent role in the Lawyers' Movement and also served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. She was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. 

Pervez Musharraf is a former Pakistani President and army chief who overthrew his country’s elected government in a coup to assume power as its chief executive. Kargil infiltration, confrontation with India and a steep rise in Pakistan’s GDP marked the presidency of the now-retired four-star general. He was awarded capital punishment for treason, but the court order was annulled later.

Shaukat Aziz is a Pakistani politician, former banker, and financier. He served as the 17th prime minister of Pakistan and was in the office August 2004 to November 2007. He was also the finance minister from 1999 to 2007.  His tenure brought about political stability and economic progress in Pakistan. He also oversaw the expansion of military reforms and police reforms. 

Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is a Pakistani retired army general best known for his service as the Chief of Army Staff from 2007 to 2013. Kayani also served as the Directorate-General of Military Operations and the Director-General of ISI, overseeing war efforts in the Global War on Terrorism. In 2012, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was named in Forbes’ most powerful person list. 

Muhammad Mian Soomro is a Pakistani banker and politician who served as the Minister for Privatization from 2018 to 2022. Previously, he had served as the Caretaker Prime Minister as well as the Acting President of Pakistan. An internationally recognized banker, Muhammad Mian Soomro has held top positions in national and international organizations like Bank of America and MCB Bank.

Ishaq Dar is a Pakistani former politician who served as the Minister of Finance of Pakistan on four occasions between 1998 and 2017. He also served as the Federal Minister for Commerce from 1997 to 1999. Ishaq Dar is also a professional chartered accountant who has worked in several public and private sector organizations.

Farooq Leghari was a Pakistani politician best remembered for serving as the eighth President of the country from 1993 until his resignation in 1997. Farooq Leghari also served as the Minister for Water and Power from 1988 to 1990.

Jugnu Mohsin is a Pakistani politician and journalist. She was an independent member of the provincial assembly before joining PMLN in 2022. She studied law at the University of Cambridge and became a journalist. She has worked as an editor of The Friday Times and Good Times. She eventually joined politics. She is married to fellow journalist Najam Sethi.