The prime minister of Pakistan is the head of the Government of Pakistan. The prime minister is vested with the responsibility of running the administration through his appointed federal cabinet, formulating national and foreign policies to ensure the safeguard of the interests of the nation and its people through the Council of Common Interests as well as making the decision to call nationwide general elections for the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan.
Since 1947, Pakistan has had 20 prime ministers, aside from the appointed caretaker prime ministers who were only mandated to oversee the system until the election process was finished. In Pakistan's parliamentary system, the prime minister is sworn in by the president and usually is the chairman or the president of the party or coalition that has a majority in the National Assembly– the lower house of Pakistan Parliament.
After the partition of British India on the midnight of 14/15 August 1947, Pakistan followed the British system by creating the post of prime minister based at the Prime Minister's Secretariat. Before the presidential system in 1960, seven prime ministers had served between 1947 until martial law in 1958. In 1971, the office was again revived but ceased to exist shortly. Executive powers and authority was given to the prime minister when the full set of the Constitution of Pakistan was promulgated in 1973 but the post was ceased from its effective operations after another martial law in 1977. After the general elections held in 1985, the office came to its existence. and Sharif during 1990–93 and 1997–99.
After the general elections held in 2002, Zafarullah Khan Jamali was invited to form his administration as its prime minister. After the Supreme Court of Pakistan's ruling to disqualify Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in 2012, the business of his administration was looked after by Raja Pervez Ashraf until the caretaker administration was setup under Mir Hazar Khan Khoso. Sharif was re-elected for a third non-consecutive term on 5 June 2013, which is a record in the history of Pakistan. No prime minister of Pakistan has yet served their full five-year term.
Key
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" border="2"
|+Key for prime ministers list
! scope="col" style="width:20px" |
! scope="col" | Party name
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Muslim League / Pakistan Muslim League
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Awami League
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Republican Party
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Peoples Party
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| National Peoples Party
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Muslim League (N)
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Muslim League (Q)
|-
|style="background-color:" |
| Tehreek-e-Insaf
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| Independent
|}
List
{| class="wikitable sortable plain row headers collapsible"
|+List of prime ministers of Pakistan
! rowspan=2 width=1% |
! rowspan=2 style="width:100px;"| Portrait
! rowspan=2 width=20% | Name
! rowspan=2 width=10% | Took office
! rowspan=2 width=10% | Left office
! rowspan=2 width=10% | Tenure
! rowspan=2 width=10% | Elections
! rowspan=2 colspan="2" width=20% | Political party<br />
! rowspan=2 width=40% | Note(s)
! colspan=2 | Government
|-
! National Assembly
! Coalition
|-
! align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Liaquat Ali Khan
نوابزادہ لیاقت علی خان <br />
| align="center" | 14 August 1947
| align="center" | 16 October 1951
| align="center" |
| align="center" | –
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Muslim League
| Following advice given by the Founding Fathers of the nation, Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah appointed and invited the Finance Minister Liaquat Ali Khan to set up and run his administration in 1947. He was assassinated in 1951, and Khawaja Nazimuddin took the office.
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 1st
|
|-
! align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin
خواجہ ناظم الدین<br />
| align="center" | 17 October 1951
| align="center" | 17 April 1953
| align="center" |
| align="center" | –
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Muslim League
| Nazimuddin became Prime Minister of Pakistan after the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951.
| align="center" |
|-
! align="center" | 5
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
حسین شہید سہروردی<br />
| align="center" | 12 September 1956
| align="center" | 17 October 1957
| align="center" |
| align="center" | —
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Awami League
| Popular for his wit in law, Suhrwardy resigned due to the loss of control over his party and support from the coalition partners in his administration.
|
|-
| data-sort-value="7.5"
| colspan=11 data-sort-value="Zz, C"
|-
! align="center" | 8
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Nurul Amin
نور الامین<br />
| align="center" | 7 December 1971
| align="center" | 20 December 1971
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1970
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Muslim League
|Shortest-tenured prime minister. After the general elections in 1971, Amin was invited to be appointed as prime minister under Yahya administration; he was also the first and the only vice president of Pakistan from 1970 to 1972, leading Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
| align="center" | 6th
|
|-
| data-sort-value="12.5"
| colspan=11 data-sort-value="Zz, E"
|-
! align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Muhammad Khan Junejo
محمد خان جنیجو<br />
| align="center" | 24 March 1985
| align="center" | 29 May 1988
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1985
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Independent
| Junejo was elected as the tenth Prime Minister of Pakistan in non-party based elections in 1985, therefore he was elected on an Independent ticket but he served the Pakistan Muslim League while before entering in office and during office. He was dismissed by the president as per the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved her government using article 58-2b of Constitution.
| align="center" | 8th
|
|-
| data-sort-value="12.5"
| colspan=11 data-sort-value="Zz, E"
|-
! align="center" | 12
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Nawaz Sharif
میاں محمد نواز شریف<br />
| align="center" | 6 November 1990
| align="center" | 18 July 1993
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1990
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Islami Jamhoori Ittehad
| Sharif was elected as the 12th prime minister of Pakistan on 1 November 1990. President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved his government in April 1993, which was later on reinstated by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
| align="center" | 9th
| align="center" |
|-
| data-sort-value="12.5"
| colspan=11 data-sort-value="Zz, E"
|-
! align="center" | (11)
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Benazir Bhutto
بے نظیر بھٹو <br />
| align="center" | 19 October 1993
| align="center" | 5 November 1996
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1993
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Peoples Party
| Bhutto was re-elected for a second term, in 1993. She survived an attempted coup d'état in 1995. Bhutto's government was dismissed by president Farooq Leghari in November 1996.
| align="center" | 10th
|
|-
| data-sort-value="12.5"
| colspan=11 data-sort-value="Zz, E"
|-
! align="center" | (12)
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Nawaz Sharif
میاں محمد نواز شریف<br />
| align="center" | 17 February 1997
| align="center" | 12 October 1999
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 1997
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" |Pakistan Muslim League (N)
| Sharif was re-elected as prime minister, with an exclusive mandate from all over Pakistan for a non-consecutive second term, in February 1997. His government was deposed by General Pervez Musharraf in October 1999, and martial law was imposed in the entire country.
| align="center" | 11th
|
|-
| data-sort-value="12.5"
| colspan=11 data-sort-value="Zz, E"
|-
! align="center" | 13
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali
میر ظفر اللہ خان جمالی<br />
| align="center" | 23 November 2002
| align="center" | 26 June 2004
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 2002
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
| Jamali was elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in November 2002. He continued the foreign and economic policies of Pervez Musharraf but could not complete his term and resigned from the post in June 2004.
|-
! align="center" | 14
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
چوہدری شجاعت حسین<br />
| align="center" | 30 June 2004
| align="center" | 23 August 2004
| align="center" |
| align="center" | —
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" |Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
| Second shortest-tenured Prime Minister. He was elected by the Parliament and served a 54-day period before Shaukat Aziz replaced him.
|-
! align="center" | 15
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Shaukat Aziz
شوکت عزیز<br />
| align="center" | 28 August 2004
| align="center" | 15 November 2007
| align="center" |
| align="center" | —
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
| Aziz took the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan in August 2004. He left the office at the end of the parliamentary term, in November 2007, and became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan who left the seat after completion of parliamentary term.
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| align="center" | (C)
| align="center" |Office vacant: served as caretaker prime minister in the interim period.
|Muhammad Mian Soomro
caretaker
|15 November 2007
|25 March 2008
|4 months and 10 days
|—
|
|Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
|Served as caretaker prime minister in the interim period.
|
|
|-
! align="center" | 16
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Yusuf Raza Gilani
سید یوسف رضا گیلانی<br />
| align="center" | 25 March 2008
| align="center" | 19 June 2012
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 2008
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Peoples Party
| Gillani was elected as prime minister in March 2008. He was disqualified from his seat in the parliament in April 2012 by the Supreme Court for contempt of court.
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 13th
| align="center" |
|-
! align="center" | 17
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
راجا پرویز اشرف<br />
| align="center" | 22 June 2012
| align="center" | 24 March 2013
| align="center" |
| align="center" | –
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Peoples Party
| Ashraf assumed the post of prime minister in June 2012, after Yousaf Raza Gillani was disqualified over contempt of court charges.
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 14th
| rowspan=2 align="center" |
|-
! align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
شاہد خاقان عباسی<br />
| align="center" | 1 August 2017
| align="center" | 31 May 2018
| align="center" |
| align="center" | —
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Muslim League (N)
| Parliament elected Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as the Prime Minister after the impeachment of Nawaz Sharif. His term expired on 31 May 2018 alongside the dissolution of the National Assembly to facilitate a caretaker government in place until the 25 July general election.
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| align="center" | (C)
| align="center" |
|Nasirul Mulk
caretaker
|31 May 2018
|18 August 2018
|2 months and 18 days
|—
|
|Independent
|Served as caretaker prime minister in the interim period.
|
|
|-
! align="center" | 19
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Imran Khan
عمران خان<br />
| align="center" | 18 August 2018
| align="center" | 10 April 2022
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 2018
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
| General elections were held on 25 July 2018, which resulted in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf winning 156 out of 342 seats, forming a coalition government of 177 members including the MQM, BAP and others. On 18 August, he was elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan. On 10 April 2022, a no-confidence vote was conducted and he was ousted from office.
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 15th
| align="center" |
|-
! align="center" | 20
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Shehbaz Sharif
میاں محمد شہباز شریف<br />
| align="center" | 11 April 2022
| align="center" | 14 August 2023
| align="center" |
| align="center" | —
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Muslim League (N)
| Shahbaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan after the successful no-confidence motion against Imran Khan. His nomination was supported by all joint opposition parties who voted to remove the previous prime minister from office.
| align="center" |
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| align="center" | (C)
| align="center" |
|Anwaar ul Haq Kakar
caretaker
|14 August 2023
|4 March 2024
|6 months and 19 days
|—
|
|Balochistan Awami Party
|Served as caretaker prime minister in the interim period.
|
|
|-
! align="center" | (20)
| align="center" | 100px
| align="center" | Shehbaz Sharif
میاں محمد شہباز شریف<br />
| align="center" | 4 March 2024
| align="center" | Incumbent
| align="center" |
| align="center" | 2024
| style="background-color:" |
| align="center" | Pakistan Muslim League (N)
| Highly controversial general elections were held on 8 February 2024. The elections were contested for rigging, and Shehbaz Sharif was again elected as prime minister with the support of the MQM-P, BAP, PMLQ, IPP, NP and PMLZ, as well as confidence and supply from Pakistan Peoples Party.
| align="center" | 16th
| align="center" |
|}
List of prime ministers by length of term
<!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per WP:CONSENSUS -->
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan = "2" | Name
! rowspan = "2" | Party
! colspan = "3" | Length of term
|-
! Longest continuous term
! Total years of premiership
|-
| Nawaz Sharif
| Islami Jamhuri Ittihad / Muslim League (N)
| 4 years, 53 days
| 9 years, 179 days
|-
| Benazir Bhutto
| Peoples Party
| 3 years, 17 days
| 4 years, 264 days
|-
| Yusuf Raza Gilani
| Peoples Party
| 4 years, 86 days
| 4 years, 86 days
|-
| Liaquat Ali Khan
| Muslim League
| 4 years, 63 days
| 4 years, 63 days
|-
| Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
| Peoples Party
| 3 years, 325 days
| 3 years, 325 days
|-
| Imran Khan
| Tehreek-e-Insaf
| 3 years, 235 days
| 3 years, 235 days
|-
| Shehbaz Sharif
| Muslim League (N)
|
|
|-
| Shaukat Aziz
| Muslim League (Q)
| 3 years, 79 days
| 3 years, 79 days
|-
| Muhammad Khan Junejo
| Independent
| 3 years, 66 days
| 3 years, 66 days
|-
| Mohammad Ali Bogra
| Muslim League
| 2 years, 117 days
| 2 years, 117 days
|-
| Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali
| Muslim League (Q)
| 1 year, 216 days
| 1 year, 216 days
|-
| Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin
| Muslim League
| 1 year, 182 days
| 1 year, 182 days
|-
| Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
| Awami League
| 1 year, 35 days
| 1 year, 35 days
|-
| Chaudhry Mohammad Ali
| Muslim League
| 1 year, 31 days
| 1 year, 31 days
|-
| Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
| Muslim League (N)
| 303 days
| 303 days
|-
| Sir Feroz Khan Noon
| Republican Party
| 295 days
| 295 days
|-
| Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
| Peoples Party
| 275 days
| 275 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Anwaar ul Haq Kakar
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Balochistan Awami Party
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 203 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 203 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Muhammad Mian Soomro
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Muslim League (Q)
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 131 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 131 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Independent
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 124 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 124 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Malik Meraj Khalid
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Independent
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 104 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 104 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| National Peoples Party
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 92 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 92 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Nasirul Mulk
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Independent
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 79 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 79 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Mir Hazar Khan Khoso
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Independent
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 73 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 73 days
|-
| Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar
| Muslim League
| 55 days
| 55 days
|-
| Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
| Muslim League (Q)
| 54 days
| 54 days
|-
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Balakh Sher Mazari
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| Peoples Party
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 38 days
|style="background-color: #e6e6aa"| 38 days
|-
| Nurul Amin
| Pakistan Muslim League
| 13 days
| 13 days
|-
|}
;Key
- : Caretaker Prime Minister