Famous Pakistani Presidents

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.

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).

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.

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.

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. 

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 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.

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. 

Muhammad Rafiq Tarar was a Pakistani politician who served as the President of Pakistan from 1998 to 2001. He is remembered for signing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. Tarar also served as the Supreme Court’s Senior Justice from 1991 to 1994. From 1989 to 1991, he was the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court.

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.

Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry was a Pakistani politician who served as Pakistan's fifth President from 1973 to 1978. He also played a key role in spreading the ideas of the Muslim League, before the partition of India,  in the 1940s.

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.

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.