The Defence Minister of Pakistan heads the Ministry of Defence, under which serve the three armed forces of the country, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, and Pakistan Navy. The minister serves in the cabinet of the Prime Minister, and is required to be a member of Parliament.
In the history of the country, the defence portfolio has usually been headed by the head of the government, be that the President or Prime Minister of the country. The first defence minister, not also to be the head of the government, was General Ayub Khan, then Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army. From the 1980 onwards, the defence minister became a unique personality, and presently it is considered one of the big five cabinet portfolio along with the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Interior Minister portfolios.
List of Defence Ministers of Pakistan[]
Name of Defence Minister | Entered Office | Left Office |
---|---|---|
Liaquat Ali Khan | 15 August 1947 | 16 October 1951 |
Khawaja Nazimuddin | 24 October 1951 | 17 April 1953 |
Muhammad Ali Bogra | 17 April 1953 | 24 October 1954 |
General Ayub Khan | 24 October 1954 | 11 August 1955 |
Chaudhry Muhammad Ali | 11 August 1955 | 12 September 1956 |
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy | 12 September 1956 | 18 October 1957 |
Mian Mumtaz Daultana | 18 October 1957 | 18 December 1957 |
Feroz Khan Noon | 18 December 1957 | 8 April 1958 |
Muhammad Ayub Khuhro | 8 April 1958 | 7 October 1958 |
Ayub Khan | 28 October 1958 | 21 October 1966 |
Vice Admiral (R) Afzal Rahman Khan | 12 October 1966 | 5 April 1969 |
Yahya Khan | 5 April 1969 | 20 December 1971 |
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 24 December 1971 | 5 July 1977 |
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 14 January 1978 | 27 August 1978 |
Mir Ali Ahmed Khan Talpur | 27 August 1978 | 26 February 1985 |
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 26 February 1985 | 24 March 1985 |
Muhammad Khan Junejo | 24 March 1985 | 29 May 1988 |
Mahmoud Haroon (caretaker) | 9 June 1988 | 1 December 1988 |
Benazir Bhutto | 4 December 1988 | 6 August 1990 |
Ghous Ali Shah | 10 September 1991 | 17 July 1993 |
Aftab Shaban Mirani | 19 October 1993 | 5 November 1996 |
Shahid Hamid (caretaker) | 5 November 1996 | 17 February 1997 |
Nawaz Sharif | 17 February 1997 | 12 October 1999 |
Pervez Musharraf | 12 October 1999 | 23 November 2002 |
Rao Sikandar Iqbal | 23 November 2002 | 15 November 2007 |
Salim Abbas Jilani (caretaker) | 16 November 2007 | 25 March 2008 |
Ahmad Mukhtar | 31 March 2008 | 3 June 2012 |
Naveed Qamar | 4 June 2012 | 15 March 2013 |
Nawaz Sharif | 7 June 2013 | Incumbent |
See also[]
- Constitution of Pakistan
- President of Pakistan
- Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Ministry of Defence Pakistan
- Foreign Minister of Pakistan
- Finance Minister of Pakistan
- Interior Minister of Pakistan
- Ministry of Defense Production
External links[]
The original article can be found at Defence Minister of Pakistan and the edit history here.