Governor of Punjab, Pakistan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Punjab
Incumbent Sardar Saleem Haider Khan since 10 May 2024
Style	The Honorable (formal)
Residence	Governor's House
Seat	Lahore
Nominator	Prime Minister of Pakistan
Appointer	President of Pakistan
Term length	5 years
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Pakistan
Formation	15 August 1947
First holder	Sir Francis Mudie

The Governor of Punjab is an important official in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Think of them as the appointed head of state for the provincial government. While the Governor is the official leader on paper, their role is mostly ceremonial. This means they perform important duties like representing the province, but the main decisions are made by the Chief Minister of Punjab and the Chief Secretary of Punjab.

However, there have been times in Pakistan's history when governors had much more power. This happened when the provincial assemblies (like a local parliament) were closed down. During these periods, such as under martial law (military rule) or specific "governor rules," the governors took direct control of the province's administration. For example, in Punjab, there was direct governor rule from 1949 to 1951. During this time, the chief minister was removed, and the assembly was dissolved.

Who Are the Governors of Punjab?

This section lists the people who have served as Governor of Punjab. The role has changed over time, from when Punjab was known as West Punjab, to West Pakistan, and then to the Punjab Province we know today.

Governors of West Punjab

These are the first governors who served when Punjab was known as West Punjab, right after Pakistan became independent.

No.	Name	Portrait	Time in Office
West Punjab
1	Sir Francis Mudie		15 August 1947	2 August 1949	1 year, 352 days
2	Abdur Rab Nishtar		2 August 1949	24 November 1951	4 years, 114 days
3	I. I. Chundrigar		24 November 1951	May 1953	1 year, 182 days
4	Mian Aminuddin		2 May 1953	24 June 1954	1 year, 53 days
5	Habib Rahimtoola		24 June 1954	26 November 1954	155 days
6	Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani		26 November 1954	14 October 1955	322 days

Governors of West Pakistan

After 1955, Punjab became part of a larger area called West Pakistan. Here are the governors who served during that time. Some were in charge during democratic governments, while others served during military rule.

Governors of Punjab Province

Since 1970, the area has been known simply as Punjab Province. Here is a list of the governors who have served in this role.

No.	Name	Portrait	Time in Office		How Long They Served	Political Party
14	Attiqur Rahman		1 July 1970	23 December 1971	540 Days (1 year, 5 months, 3 days)
15	Ghulam Mustafa Khar		23 December 1971	12 November 1973	690 days (1 year, 10 months, 20 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
16	Sadiq Hussain Qureshi		12 November 1973	14 March 1975	487 days (1 year, 4 months, 2 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
17	Ghulam Mustafa Khar		14 March 1975	31 July 1975	139 days (4 months, 17 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
18	Mohammad Abbas Abbasi		31 July 1975	5 July 1977	705 days (1 year, 11 months, 5 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
19	Aslam Riaz Hussain		5 July 1977	18 September 1978	440 days (1 year, 2 months, 13 days)
20	Sawar Khan		18 September 1978	1 May 1980	591 days (1 year, 7 months, 13 days)
21	Ghulam Jilani Khan		1 May 1980	30 December 1985	2069 days (5 years, 7 months, 29 days)
22	Sajjad Hussain Qureshi		30 December 1985	9 December 1988	1075 days (2 years, 11 months, 9 days)
23	Tikka Khan		9 December 1988	06 August 1990	605 days (1 year, 7 months, 28 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
24	Mian Muhammad Azhar		6 August 1990	25 April 1993	993 days (2 years, 8 months, 19 days)	Pakistan Muslim League
25	Chaudhary Altaf Hussain		25 April 1993	19 July 1993	85 days (2 months, 24 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
26	Iqbal Khan		19 July 1993	26 March 1994	250 days (8 months, 7 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
27	Chaudhary Altaf Hussain		26 March 1994	22 May 1995	422 days (1 year, 1 month, 26 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
28	Raja Saroop Khan		19 June 1995	6 November 1996	506 days 1 year, 4 months, 18 days	Pakistan Peoples Party
29	Khawaja Tariq Rahim		11 November 1996	11 March 1997	120 days 4 months
30	Shahid Hamid		11 March 1997	18 August 1999	890 days (2 years, 5 months, 7 days)	Pakistan Muslim League (N)
31	Zulfiqar Ali Khosa		12 August 1999	25 October 1999	73 days	Pakistan Muslim League (N)
32	Muhammad Safdar		25 October 1999	29 October 2001	796 days (2 years, 2 months, 4 days)
33	Khalid Maqbool		29 October 2001	16 May 2008	2391 days (6 years, 6 months, 17 days)
34	Salmaan Taseer*		17 May 2008	4 January 2011	962 days (2 years, 7 months, 18 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
35	Latif Khosa		13 January 2011	2 January 2013	720 days (1 year, 11 months, 20 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
36	Syed Ahmed Mahmud		3 January 2013	13 May 2013	131 days (4 months, 11 days)	Pakistan Peoples Party
37	Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar		2 August 2013	29 January 2015	545 days (1 year, 5 months, 27 days)	Pakistan Muslim League (N)
38	Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana		7 May 2015	18 August 2018	1199 days (3 years, 3 months, 11 days)	Pakistan Muslim League (N)
39	Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar		5 September 2018	3 April 2022	1306 days (3 years, 6 months, 29 days)	Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
40	Omar Sarfraz Cheema		3 April 2022	10 May 2022	57 days (1 month, 27 days)	Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
41	Baligh Ur Rehman		30 May 2022	10 May 2024	710 days (1 year, 11 months, 10 days)	Pakistan Muslim League (N)
42	Sardar Saleem Haider Khan		10 May 2024	Incumbent		Pakistan People's Party

See Also

• Chief Minister of Punjab
• Senior Minister of Punjab (Pakistan)
• Leader of the Opposition Punjab
• Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab
• Government of Punjab
• Provincial Assembly of the Punjab
• List of current Pakistani governors
• List of current Pakistani chief ministers