President of Pakistan

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For a comprehensive list, see List of heads of state of Pakistan.


President of Pakistan
صدرِ پاکستان
s̤adr-e Pākistān
Emblem of President of Pakistan
Presidential Standard of Pakistan
Incumbent
Asif Ali Zardari
since 10 March 2024
Head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Executive branch of the Government of Pakistan
StyleHonourable President
(formal)
His Excellency[1]
(diplomatic)
Mr President (informal)
TypeHead of state
Commander-in-chief
ResidenceAiwan-e-Sadr
SeatIslamabad
AppointerElectoral College
Term lengthFive years,
renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Pakistan (1973)
PrecursorMonarch of Pakistan
Inaugural holderIskander Mirza
Formation23 March 1956; 70 years ago (1956-03-23)
SuccessionLine of succession
DeputyChairman of the Senate
Salary8,47,000 PKR per month (2018)[2][3]
WebsitePresident of Pakistan
Pakistan
This article is part of a series on the
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President of Pakistan[A 1] serves as the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, functioning as the nominal head of the executive and federal parliament, the first citizen of the country, and supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The current President, Asif Ali Zardari, assumed office on 10 March 2024 as the 14th holder of this position. As the ceremonial head of the federation, the President is constitutionally bound to act on the advice of the Prime Minister and federal cabinet.

However, in practical terms, the Army Chief is widely considered to exercise ultimate authority over all political positions in Pakistan.[4]

The presidential office was established upon Pakistan's declaration as an Islamic Republic on 23 March 1956, with Major General Iskander Mirza, then serving Governor-General, assuming the inaugural presidency. Following the 1958 coup d'état, the prime minister's office was abolished, rendering the Presidency the country's most powerful position. This authority was further consolidated when the 1962 Constitution established Pakistan as a Presidential Republic, concentrating all executive powers in the President.

The 1973 Constitution subsequently introduced parliamentary democracy, reducing the presidency to a ceremonial role. However, the 1977 military takeover reversed these democratic reforms. The 8th Amendment transformed Pakistan into a semi-presidential republic, with executive power shared between the President and Prime Minister during the 1985-2010 period. The 18th Amendment in 2010 restored parliamentary democracy and reinstated the presidency's ceremonial nature.

Constitutionally, the President cannot directly administer the government; executive authority is exercised on their behalf by the Prime Minister, who maintains regular briefings on domestic and foreign policy matters as well as legislative proposals. The Constitution, however, vests the President with powers including pardons, reprieves, and military command, though senior military appointments require presidential action based on Prime Minister consultation and approval.

The President is indirectly elected by the Electoral College for a five-year term, with constitutional requirements mandating Muslim citizenship and minimum age of forty-five years. The President resides in Islamabad's Aiwan-e-Sadar (President's House). In the President's absence, the Senate Chairman exercises presidential responsibilities until either the President resumes office or the next officeholder is elected.

Fourteen individuals have held the presidency since its inception, with Iskander Ali Mirza serving as the first President from 23 March 1956 to 25 October 1958, followed by fourteen subsequent officeholders, with Asif Ali Zardari currently serving from 10 March 2024.

List of presidents[edit | edit source]

Main articles: List of presidents of Pakistan and List of heads of state of Pakistan
Key for presidents list
Party name
Republican Party
Muslim League (C)
Armed Forces
Independent
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
Pakistan People's Party
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Political party Elected Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Iskandar Ali Mirza
(1899–1969) 		23 March 1956 27 October 1958 2 years, 218 days Republican 1956 [5]
2 Ayub Khan
(1907–1974) 		27 October 1958 8 June 1962 3 years, 224 days Army –
8 June 1962 25 March 1969 6 years, 290 days PMLC 1965
3 Yahya Khan
(1917–1980) 		25 March 1969 20 December 1971 2 years, 270 days Army – [5][6][page needed]
4 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
(1928–1979) 		20 December 1971 14 August 1973 1 year, 237 days PPP 1970 [5]
5
Fazal Ilahi Chaudhary
 Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
(1904–1982) 		14 August 1973 16 September 1978 5 years, 33 days PPP 1973
6 Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
(1924–1988) 		16 September 1978 17 August 1988 † 9 years, 336 days Army –
7 Ghulam Ishaq Khan
(1915–2006) 		17 August 1988 18 July 1993 4 years, 335 days IND 1988
— Wasim Sajjad
(born 1941)
acting 		18 July 1993 14 November 1993 119 days PMLN –
8 Farooq Leghari
(1940–2010) 		14 November 1993 2 December 1997 4 years, 18 days PPP 1993
— Wasim Sajjad
(born 1941)
acting 		2 December 1997 1 January 1998 30 days PMLN –
9 Muhammad Rafiq Tarar
(1929–2022) 		1 January 1998 20 June 2001 3 years, 170 days PMLN 1997
10 Pervez Musharraf
(1943–2023) 		20 June 2001 15 October 2007 6 years, 117 days Army 2004 [5][7]
19 November 2007 18 August 2008 273 days PML(Q) 2007 [5]
— Muhammad Mian Soomro
(born 1950)
acting 		18 August 2008 9 September 2008 22 days PML(Q) –
11 Asif Ali Zardari
(born 1955) 		9 September 2008 9 September 2013 5 years PPP 2008
12 Mamnoon Hussain
(1940–2021) 		9 September 2013 9 September 2018 5 years PMLN 2013
13 Arif Alvi
(born 1949) 		9 September 2018 10 March 2024 5 years, 183 days PTI 2018
14 Asif Ali Zardari
(born 1955) 		10 March 2024 Incumbent 2 years, 137 days PPP 2024
Asif Ali ZardariArif AlviMamnoon HussainMuhammad Mian SoomroPervez MusharrafMuhammad Rafiq TararWasim SajjadFarooq LeghariGhulam Ishaq KhanMuhammad Zia-ul-HaqFazal Ilahi ChaudhryZulfikar Ali BhuttoYahya KhanAyub Khan (general)Fazlul Qadir ChaudhryMohammad Afzal CheemaIskander Mirza

Eligibility and selection process[edit | edit source]

The Constitution of Pakistan sets the principle qualifications that the candidate must meet to be eligible to the office of the president.[8] A president has to be:

The selection of President occurs when the Aiwan-e-Sadr (Presidential Palace) becomes vacant through an electoral process conducted by the Electoral College comprising both houses of Parliament (Senate and National Assembly) and the four provincial assemblies. The Chief Election Commissioner is constitutionally mandated to conduct presidential elections in a special session, with voting conducted through secret ballot methods.

The electoral system employs a differentiated voting structure where each elector casts varying numbers of votes. The fundamental principle ensures equality between the total votes cast by parliamentary members and provincial legislators. Provincial legislatures receive equal voting allocations based on the smallest provincial assembly, the Balochistan Assembly, comprising 65 members.

The Constitution establishes specific temporal parameters for presidential elections, stipulating that such elections must be conducted no earlier than sixty days and no later than thirty days preceding the expiration of the incumbent President's term.

Election and oath[edit | edit source]

The president is elected indirectly for a term of five years.[10] The incumbent president is eligible for re-election to that office, but cannot hold that office for more than two consecutive terms.[11] The president is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the chief justice—, an oath or affirmation that the president shall protect, preserve and defend the Constitution as follows:

I, (The name of the President-elect), do solemnly swear that I am a Muslim and believe in the Unity, and Oneness of Almighty Allah, the Books of Allah, the Holy Qur'an being the last of them, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last of the Prophets and that there can be no Prophet after him, the Day of Judgment, and all the requirements and teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah:

That I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan:

That, as President of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well- being and prosperity of Pakistan:

That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions:

That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

That, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill- will:

And that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of Pakistan, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President.

May Allah Almighty help and guide me (Ameen).[12]

Line of succession and removal[edit | edit source]

The Constitution provides for an acting president arrangement in specific circumstances, permitting certain office-holders to contest presidential elections despite the absence of a vice-presidential position:

  • the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
  • the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan.

The President may be removed from office before their term expires through impeachment proceedings for violating the Constitution of Pakistan.

The impeachment process may be initiated in either parliamentary house. The initiating house must level charges against the President through a notice signed by either the Chairman or Speaker of the National Assembly, requiring a two-thirds majority. This notice is forwarded to the President, followed by a 14-day consideration period. Subsequently, a resolution to impeach must be passed by two-thirds majority, after which the Speaker of the National Assembly summons a joint session within seven days. The President possesses the right to defend themselves during these proceedings.

If the resolution passes by two-thirds majority at the joint session, declaring the President unfit due to incapacity or guilty of constitutional violation or gross misconduct, the President immediately ceases to hold office upon the resolution's passage. No President has been successfully impeached, though impeachment proceedings were initiated in 2008 against former President Pervez Musharraf, who subsequently resigned as these proceedings advanced.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Gupta, K. R., ed. (2006). India-Pakistan relations with special reference to Kashmir. New Delhi: Atlantic Publ. and Distributors. ISBN 8126906723.
  2. ↑ "Govt wants to double president's salary". The Express Tribune. 29 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Data" (PDF). www.na.gov.pk. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Jonko, Anushree (11 November 2025). "Pakistan Puts Asim Munir's Army Above State: What It Means". NDTV.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Presidents". National Assembly of Pakistan. 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Burki, Shahid Javed; Baxter, Craig (1991). Pakistan Under The Military: Eleven Years Of Zia Ul-haq. Westview Press. ISBN 978-0813379852.
  7. ↑ Waldman, Amy (2 January 2004). "Pakistan gives Musharraf confidence vote as president". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Article 41(2) Archived 2016-02-04 at the Wayback Machine in Chapter 1: The President, Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan.
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Article 411
  10. ↑ Article 44(1)-(2) Archived 2016-02-04 at the Wayback Machine in Chapter 1: The President in Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan.
  11. ↑ Article 44(2) Archived 2016-02-04 at the Wayback Machine in Chapter 1: The President in Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan.
  12. ↑ Article 42 in Chapter 1: The President in Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ صدرِ پاکستان सदर-ए-पाकिस्तान
    • also commonly referred to as s̤adr-e mumlikat (صدرِ مملکت सदर-ए-मुम्लिकत) in Urdu, translating to Head of State.

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External links[edit | edit source]

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