No prime minister has completed a full five-year tenure in Pakistan’s 75-year history. Below is a list of whose terms in office ended prematurely:
Liaquat Ali Khan: Pakistan’s first prime minister. Took office in August 1947. He was assassinated at a political rally on Oct. 16, 1951.
Khawaja Nazimuddin: Took office on Oct. 17, 1951. He was dismissed on April 17, 1953, by the country’s governor general.
Muhammad Ali Bogra: Took office April 17, 1953. Resigned on Aug. 11, 1955.
Chaudhri Mohammad Ali: Took office in August 1955. Internal differences in the ruling party led to his ouster on Sept. 12, 1956.
Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy: Took office on Sept. 12, 1956. Forced from office after differences with other power centres on Oct. 18, 1957.
Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar: Took office in October 1957. Resigned on Dec. 16, 1957, faced with a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Malik Feroz Khan Noon: Took office Dec. 16, 1957. Dismissed due to the imposition of martial law in Pakistan on Oct. 7, 1958.
Noorul Amin: Took office Dec. 7, 1971. Left office on Dec. 20, 1971, shortly after the secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: Took office on Aug. 14, 1973. He was overthrown by a military coup on July 5, 1977.
Muhammad Khan Junejo: Took office in March 1985. He was dismissed on May 29, 1988, by the military chief who was also the president.
Benazir Bhutto: Took office on Dec. 2, 1988. Her government was dismissed on Aug. 6, 1990, by the president, a close aid of the deceased military ruler, on charges of corruption.
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif: Took office Nov. 6, 1990. His government was also dismissed by the president on similar charges to Bhutto on April 18, 1993.
Benazir Bhutto: Returned to power for her second tenure in Oct. 19, 1993. Was dismissed by the president once again on charges of misgovernance on Nov. 5, 1996.
Nawaz Sharif: Came to power a second time on Feb. 17, 1997. Overthrown by a military coup – the third in Pakistan’s history – in Oct 1999.
Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali: Elected prime minister during military rule in November 2002. He resigned after differences with the military on June 26, 2004.
Yousaf Raza Gilani: Elected prime minister on March 25, 2008. He was disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2012 on charges of ‘contempt of court’
Nawaz Sharif: Elected prime minister for a third time on June 5, 2013. He was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on charges of concealing assets on July 28, 2017.
Imran Khan: Elected as prime minister on Aug. 18, 2018. Voted out of power via a no-confidence motion by the opposition on April 10, 2022.