# Minister of Defence (Pakistan)

The Minister of Defence (Urdu: 'وزیرِ دفاع') heads the Ministry of Defence. 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 was Liaquat Ali Khan.

## List of ministers
### Legend

* Caretaker minister
* $^†$ Died in office
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Born–Died) | Tenure | Tenure | Tenure | Party | Government | Head of Government | Head of Government |
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Born–Died) | From | To | Length | Party | Government | Head of Government | Head of Government |
| Federal Minister of Defence ||||||||||
| | | Liaquat Ali Khan (1947–1951) MCA for East Bengal (Prime Minister) | 15 August 1947 | 16 October 1951 | 4 years, 62 days | Muslim League | Liaquat | | Self |
| | | Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (1894–1964) MCA for East Bengal (Prime Minister) | 24 October 1951 | 17 April 1953 | 1 year, 175 days | Muslim League | Nazimuddin | | Self |
| | | Mohammad Ali Bogra (1909–1963) MCA for East Bengal (Prime Minister) | 18 April 1953 | 24 October 1954 | 1 year, 189 days | Muslim League | Bogra | | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| | | General Muhammad Ayub Khan (1907–1974) Commander-in-Chief of the Army | 24 October 1954 | 11 August 1955 | 291 days | Muslim League | Bogra | | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| | | Chaudhry Muhammad Ali (1905–1982) MNA for Punjab (Prime Minister) | 12 August 1955 | 12 September 1956 | 1 year, 31 days | Muslim League | Muhammad Ali | | Self |
| | | Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1892–1963) MNA for East Bengal (Prime Minister) | 13 September 1956 | 18 October 1957 | 1 year, 35 days | Awami League | Suhrawardy | | Self |
| | | Mumtaz Daultana (1916–1965) MNA for Punjab | 19 October 1957 | 18 December 1957 | 60 days | Muslim League | Chundrigar | | I. I. Chundrigar |
| Federal Minister | Federal Minister | Federal Minister | 19 December 1957 | 8 April 1958 | 110 days | Republican Party | Noon | | Sir Feroz Khan Noon |
| | | Sir Feroz Khan Noon (1893–1970) MCA for Punjab (Prime Minister) | 19 December 1957 | 8 April 1958 | 110 days | Republican Party | Noon | | Sir Feroz Khan Noon |
| Sir Feroz Khan Noon |||
| | | Akbar Bugti (1926–2006) | 19 December 1957 | 8 April 1958 | 110 days | Republican Party | Noon | | Sir Feroz Khan Noon |
| Federal Minister of Defence ||||||||||
| | | Muhammad Ayub Khuhro (1901–1980) MNA for Sindh | 9 April 1958 | 7 October 1958 | 181 days | Muslim League | Noon | | Sir Feroz Khan Noon |
| | | Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan (1907–1974) (President) | 28 October 1958 | 21 October 1966 | 7 years, 358 days | Muslim League | Ayub | | Muhammad Ayub Khan (President) |
| | | Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan (1907–1974) (President) | 28 October 1958 | 21 October 1966 | 7 years, 358 days | Convention Muslim League | Ayub | | Muhammad Ayub Khan (President) |
| | | Vice Admiral Afzal Rahman Khan (1921–1983) | 12 October 1966 | 5 April 1969 | 2 years, 175 days | Military (Non-partisan) | Ayub | | Muhammad Ayub Khan (President) |
| | | General Yahya Khan (1917–1980) (Chief Martial Law Administrator) | 25 March 1969 | 20 December 1971 | 2 years, 270 days | Military (Non-partisan) | Yahya | | Self (President) |
| | | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928–1979) MNA for 116 Larkana-I (President until 14 Aug 1973 Prime Minister from 14 Aug 1973) | 20 December 1971 | 5 July 1977 | 5 years, 197 days | Pakistan People's Party | Bhutto | | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
| | | General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1924–1988) (Chief Martial Law Administrator) | 5 July 1977 | 27 Aug 1978 | 1 year, 53 days | Military (Non-partisan) | Haq | | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (President) |
| | | Ali Ahmad Talpur (1915–1987) | 27 August 1978 | 25 February 1985 | 6 years, 182 days | Independent | Haq | | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (President) |
| | | General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1924–1988) (President) | 27 February 1985 | 24 March 1985 | 25 days | Military (Non-partisan) | Haq | | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (President) |
| | | Muhammad Junejo (1932–1993) (Prime Minister) | 25 March 1985 | 29 May 1988 | 3 years, 65 days | Independent | Haq | | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (President) |
| | | Mahmoud Haroon (1920–2008) | 9 June 1988 | 17 August 1988 | 176 days | Independent | Haq | | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (President) |
| | | Mahmoud Haroon (1920–2008) | 17 August 1988 | 2 December 1988 | 176 days | Independent | Ishaq Khan | | Ghulam Ishaq Khan (Acting President) |
| | | Benazir Bhutto (1953–2007) MNA for 166 Larkana-III (Prime Minister) | 4 December 1988 | 6 August 1990 | 1 year, 245 days | Pakistan People's Party | Bhutto I | | Self |
| Caretaker ministry served during this interval ||||||||||
| | | Nawaz Sharif (born 1949) MNA for 12 Abbottabad-II (Prime Minister) | 6 November 1990 | 10 September 1991 | 308 days | Muslim League (IJI) | Nawaz I | | Nawaz Sharif |
| | | Ghous Ali Shah (born 1934) | 10 September 1991 | 18 April 1993 | 1 year, 220 days | Muslim League (IJI) | Nawaz I | | Nawaz Sharif |
| | | Hazar Khan Bijarani (1946–2018) (Caretaker) | 18 April 1993 | 26 May 1993 | 38 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Mazari | | Balakh Sher Mazari (Caretaker) |
| | | Ghous Ali Shah (born 1934) | 26 May 1993 | 18 July 1993 | 53 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) (IJI) | Nawaz I | | Nawaz Sharif |
| | | Lieutenant General (Retd) Rehm Dil Bhatti (Caretaker) | 23 July 1993 | 19 October 1993 | 88 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Qureshi | | Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi (Caretaker) |
| | | Aftab Shaban Mirani MNA for 154 Shikarpur-I | 19 October 1993 | 5 November 1996 | 3 years, 17 days | Pakistan People's Party | Bhutto II | | Benazir Bhutto |
| | | Shahid Hamid (Caretaker) | 11 November 1996 | 17 February 1997 | 98 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Khalid | | Malik Meraj Khalid (Caretaker) |
| | | Nawaz Sharif (born 1949) MNA for 12 Abbottabad-II (Prime Minister) | 17 February 1997 | 12 October 1999 | 2 years, 237 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) | Nawaz II | | Self |
| | | General Pervez Musharraf (1943–2023) (Chief Executive) | 12 October 1999 | 23 November 2002 | 3 years, 42 days | Military (Non-partisan) | Musharraf | | Self (Chief Executive) |
| | | Rao Sikandar Iqbal (1943–2010) MNA for 144 Okara-II (Senior Minister) | 23 November 2002 | 15 November 2007 | 4 years, 357 days | Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians | Jamali | | Zafarullah Khan Jamali |
| | | Rao Sikandar Iqbal (1943–2010) MNA for 144 Okara-II (Senior Minister) | 23 November 2002 | 15 November 2007 | 4 years, 357 days | Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians | Hussain | | Shujaat Hussain |
| | | Rao Sikandar Iqbal (1943–2010) MNA for 144 Okara-II (Senior Minister) | 23 November 2002 | 15 November 2007 | 4 years, 357 days | Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians | Aziz | | Shaukat Aziz |
| | | Salim Abbas Jilani (Caretaker) | 15 November 2007 | 24 March 2008 | 130 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Soomro | | Muhammad Mian Soomro (Caretaker) |
| | | Ahmad Mukhtar (1946–2020) MNA for 105 Gujrat-II | 31 March 2008 | 3 June 2012 | 4 years, 64 days | Pakistan People's Party | Gillani | | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| | | Naveed Qamar (born 1955) MNA for 222 Hyderabad-V | 4 June 2012 | 16 March 2013 | 285 days | Pakistan People's Party | Ashraf | | Raja Pervaiz Ashraf |
| | | Mir Hazar Khan Khoso (1929–2021) (Prime Minister) (Caretaker) | 4 April 2013 | 4 June 2013 | 61 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Khoso | | Self (Caretaker) |
| | | Nawaz Sharif (born 1949) MNA for 120 Lahore-III (Prime Minister) | 7 June 2013 | 26 November 2013 | 172 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) | Nawaz III | | Nawaz Sharif |
| | | Khawaja Asif (born 1949) MNA for 71 Sialkot | 27 November 2013 | 28 July 2017 | 3 years, 243 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) | Nawaz III | | Nawaz Sharif |
| | | Khurram Dastgir (born 1970) MNA for 96 Gujranwala-II | 4 August 2017 | 31 May 2018 | 300 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) | Abbasi | | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| | | Abdullah Hussain Haroon (born 1950) (Caretaker) | 5 June 2018 | 18 August 2018 | 74 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Mulk | | Nasirul Mulk (Caretaker) |
| | | Pervez Khattak (born 1950) MNA for 25 Nowshera-I | 20 August 2018 | 10 April 2022 | 3 years, 233 days | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | Imran | | Imran Khan |
| | | Khawaja Asif (born 1949) MNA for 73 Sialkot-II | 19 April 2022 | 10 August 2023 | 1 year, 113 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) | Shehbaz I | | Shehbaz Sharif |
| | | Lieutenant General (Retd) Anwar Ali Hyder (Caretaker) | 17 August 2023 | 4 March 2024 | 200 days | Independent (Caretaker) | Kakar | | Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (Caretaker) |
| | | Khawaja Asif (born 1949) MNA for 71 Sialkot-II | 11 March 2024 | Incumbent | 357 days | Pakistan Muslim League (N) | Shehbaz II | | Shehbaz Sharif |