Famous Pakistani Political Leaders
Politics of any country is a reflection of its heritage, ideology and culture and Pakistan’s political system is no different. Having a distinctive combination of parliamentary, presidential and military system, Pakistan’s politics have been an embodiment of the country’s traditions and culture. A multi-party democracy, Pakistan has numerous parties who at different times have taken office and ruled the country through their varied governing methods. Pakistan has produced some of the world famous political leaders in the form of Liaquat Ali Khan, Muhammad Ayub Khan, Muhamad Zia ul Haq, Benazir Bhutto, Pervez Muharraf, Shaukat Aziz or current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has taken office for a third time. Each of them and many others has exhibited strong nationalist emotions and has safeguarded Pakistan’s culture, either through democratic means or dictatorship. They all have been active in national politics and a central figure in the country’s administrative, political, economic and social reforms. They have moulded the country’s political institution to sync it with the significant advancement and modernization of the world. With this section, explore an extensive collection of biographies of some of the most popular Pakistani political leaders. Read in details about their life, works and career.
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Birthdate: December 25, 1876
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Karachi, Pakistan
Died: September 11, 1948
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s Father of the Nation, was an All-India Muslim League leader who led to the formation of Pakistan in 1947. Educated in England, Jinnah was a barrister and had worked at the Bombay High Court. He had helped pass the 1916 Lucknow Pact, too.
Birthdate: June 21, 1953
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Karachi
Died: December 27, 2007
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.
Birthdate: January 5, 1928
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Larkana, Pakistan
Died: April 4, 1979
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.
Birthdate: October 1, 1895
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Karnal
Died: October 17, 1951
Born to a landowner, Liaquat Ali Khan received an elite education at Oxford. The lawyer-turned-politician was Pakistan’s first prime minister. The place where he was assassinated by an Afghan, the Company Bagh, was later renamed Liaquat Bagh, and years later, witnessed the assassination of prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Birthdate: November 2, 1877
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Karachi, Pakistan
Died: July 11, 1957
Though born into a family of imams, Aga Khan III surprisingly had an elite Western education, with him attending Eton and Cambridge. He took over as the imam of Shi'a Isma'ili Muslims at 7 and grew up to form the All-India Muslim League. His disinherited his son Prince Aly Khan.
Birthdate: July 31, 1893
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Karachi
Died: July 8, 1967
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.
7
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan(Political & Spiritual Leader and Founder of the 'Khudai Khidmatgar' Resistance Movement against British Colonial Rule in India)
Birthdate: February 6, 1890
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Utmānzai, Pakistan
Died: January 20, 1988
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.
Birthdate: November 15, 1899
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Murshidabad
Died: November 15, 1969
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.
Birthdate: December 25, 1949
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lahore
Pakistani entrepreneur-turned-politician Nawaz Sharif became the longest-tenured prime minister of Pakistan. His steel construction business made him one of the richest men in the country. He was ousted by a military coup in 1999. He was imprisoned for a plane hijacking case and later dragged into the Panama Papers case.
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Ayub Khan
(2nd President of Pakistan)
Birthdate: May 14, 1907
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rehana, Pakistan
Died: April 19, 1974
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.
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Hina Rabbani Khar
(Diplomat, Politician, Entrepreneur, Economist)
Birthdate: November 19, 1977
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Multan
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.
Birthdate: July 19, 1894
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Dhaka
Died: October 22, 1964
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.
Birthdate: October 28, 1973
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lahore
14
Choudhry Rahmat Ali
(Politician)
Birthdate: November 16, 1897
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Garhshankar, Punjab, India
Died: February 3, 1951
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.
15
Shehbaz Sharif
(Politician)
Birthdate: September 23, 1951
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lahore, West Punjab Punjab, Dominion of Pakistan Pakistan
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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
(Politician)
Birthdate: September 21, 1988
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Karachi
Birthdate: September 8, 1892
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Midnapore, Bengal, British India
Died: December 5, 1963
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.
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Murtaza Bhutto
(Politician)
Birthdate: September 18, 1954
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Larkana
Died: September 20, 1996
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.
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Nusrat Bhutto
(Wife of Former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto)
Birthdate: March 23, 1929
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Isfahan, Iran
Died: October 23, 2011
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.
20
Jogendra Nath Mandal
(Politician)
Birthdate: January 29, 1904
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bengal Presidency
Died: October 5, 1968
Birthdate: July 5, 1971
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Karachi
Birthdate: November 6, 1950
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rawalpindi
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.
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Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
(Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and Former Politician)
Birthdate: February 19, 1951
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Jhang, Pakistan
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.
24
Mamnoon Hussain
(Politician, Entrepreneur)
Birthdate: December 23, 1940
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Agra
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.
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Shah Nawaz Bhutto
(politician)
Birthdate: 1888 AD
Died: 1957 AD
26
Malik Ghulam Muhammad
(Financier, Politician)
Birthdate: April 20, 1895
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lahore
Died: September 12, 1956
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Shah Mehmood Qureshi
(Politician)
Birthdate: June 22, 1956
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Multan, Pakistan
Birthdate: July 12, 1927
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Barkhan
Died: August 26, 2006
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Farooq Leghari
(8th President of Pakistan (1993 - 1997))
Birthdate: May 29, 1940
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Choti, Pakistan
Died: October 20, 2010
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.
Birthdate: October 19, 1909
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bogra
Died: July 15, 1963
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.
31
Ghulam Ishaq Khan
(Politician, Financier)
Birthdate: January 20, 1915
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bannu District
Died: October 27, 2006
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.
32
Shahnawaz Bhutto
(Politician)
Birthdate: November 21, 1958
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: July 18, 1985
33
Salmaan Taseer
(Businessman)
Birthdate: May 31, 1944
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Simla, India
Died: January 4, 2011
34
Yousaf Raza Gillani
(18th Prime Minister of Pakistan (2008 - 2012))
Birthdate: July 9, 1952
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
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.
35
Muhammad Zafarullah Khan
(Jurist)
Birthdate: February 6, 1893
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sialkot, Pakistan
Died: September 1, 1985
Birthdate: August 11, 1943
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Daryaganj, New Delhi
Died: February 5, 2023
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.
37
Asma Jahangir
(Human rights activist, Lawyer)
Birthdate: January 27, 1952
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Karachi
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.
38
Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif
(Pakistani Politician)
Birthdate: 1950 AD
Birthplace: Lahore
39
Ghulam Mustafa Khar
(politician)
Birthdate: 1937 AD
Birthplace: Kot Addu Tehsil
40
Nisar Ali Khan
(Former Federal Minister for Interior & Narcotics Control of Pakistan)
Birthdate: July 31, 1954
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Chakri Wakeelan, Pakistan
41
Ishaq Dar
(Economist, Financier, Politician)
Birthdate: May 13, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lahore
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.
42
Jugnu Mohsin
(Politician known for Progressivism, Women's development)
Birthdate: 1959 AD
Birthplace: Lahore, Pakistan
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.
Birthdate: September 17, 1953
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Karachi
44
Wasim Sajjad
(Politician, Lawyer)
Birthdate: March 30, 1941
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Jalandhar
Wasim Sajjad is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who served as Pakistan's Acting President on two occasions. An influential politician, he also served as the Law Minister of Pakistan from 1986 to 1988. He then went on to serve as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan from 1988 to 1999.
Birthdate: August 21, 1972
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Karachi
46
Khawaja Muhammad Asif
(Politician, Banker)
Birthdate: August 9, 1949
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sialkot
47
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
(25th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan (2002 - 2007))
Birthdate: June 18, 1941
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lahore, Pakistan
Birthdate: 1960 AD
Birthplace: Pakistan
Birthdate: August 4, 1939
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Matiari District
Died: November 21, 2015
50
Syed Mustafa Kamal
(Politician)
Birthdate: December 27, 1971
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Karachi