Heads of state since the 1956 Constitution, with official dates.
The President of Pakistan is the head of state. The office was created by the 1956 Constitution. Iskander Mirza was the first president, from 23 March 1956. The current president is Asif Ali Zardari, sworn in on 10 March 2024 as the 14th president. Because Zardari has served twice, 13 people have held the office.
Dates for former presidents are from the President's Secretariat list of former presidents. The official list gives separate entries for the two phases of the Ayub Khan and Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry presidencies; they are combined here. Acting presidents, such as the chairmen of the Senate who acted between presidents, are not included in the official list and are not shown.
| No. | President | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iskander Mirza | 23 March 1956 | 27 October 1958 |
| 2 | Ayub Khan | 27 October 1958 | 25 March 1969 |
| 3 | Yahya Khan | 25 March 1969 | 20 December 1971 |
| 4 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 20 December 1971 | 14 August 1973 |
| 5 | Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry | 14 August 1973 | 16 September 1978 |
| 6 | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 16 September 1978 | 17 August 1988 |
| 7 | Ghulam Ishaq Khan | 17 August 1988 | 18 July 1993 |
| 8 | Farooq Leghari | 14 November 1993 | 2 December 1997 |
| 9 | Muhammad Rafiq Tarar | 1 January 1998 | 20 June 2001 |
| 10 | Pervez Musharraf | 20 June 2001 | 18 August 2008 |
| 11 | Asif Ali Zardari | 9 September 2008 | 9 September 2013 |
| 12 | Mamnoon Hussain | 9 September 2013 | 9 September 2018 |
| 13 | Arif Alvi | 9 September 2018 | 10 March 2024 |
| 14 | Asif Ali Zardari | 10 March 2024 | In office |
Until the 1956 Constitution created the office of president, Pakistan's head of state was the governor-general. Iskander Mirza held that office before he became president (Britannica).
Iskander Mirza, from 23 March 1956 to 27 October 1958.
Asif Ali Zardari. He was sworn in on 10 March 2024, after winning the presidential election held a day earlier with 411 electoral votes (Dawn).
Asif Ali Zardari: from 2008 to 2013, and again since 10 March 2024. Dawn described him as the only person elected head of state a second time.
By the official dates, Ayub Khan served longest: from 27 October 1958 to 25 March 1969, about 10 years and 5 months. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq is next, from 16 September 1978 to 17 August 1988, almost 10 years.
Related: Prime Ministers of Pakistan · History of Pakistan