Ask ten Pakistanis who the best prime minister was and you’ll get ten passionate, mutually exclusive answers. There’s no objective winner — but there are serious cases to weigh. This guide lays out the leading contenders fairly, with their achievements and their shadows, so you can make up your own mind.
Quick answer: There’s no consensus on the best prime minister of Pakistan. The serious contenders: Liaquat Ali Khan (founding stewardship), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (constitution, nuclear programme), Nawaz Sharif (infrastructure, three terms), Benazir Bhutto (democratic landmark) — each with a contested legacy.
In this guide
The Contenders
- Liaquat Ali Khan: held the newborn state together 1947–51; assassinated at his peak. The “what if” candidate.
- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: gave Pakistan the 1973 Constitution, launched the nuclear programme, mass politics. Executed 1979 — the tragedy candidate.
- Nawaz Sharif: motorways, economic growth, nuclear tests 1998; three terms, twice ousted. The builder candidate.
- Benazir Bhutto: first woman PM of a Muslim country; twice elected, twice dismissed. The democratic-symbol candidate.
- Imran Khan: anti-corruption mandate, Ehsaas programme; ousted by no-confidence. The populist candidate.
Polls swing with the political weather — which is itself the point: the debate says as much about Pakistan’s present as its past.
How to Judge
Honest yardsticks: constitutional legacy (Bhutto’s 1973 Constitution endures), economic record, democratic strengthening vs weakening, and how they left — no PM has completed a full term and handed over to an elected successor, a collective failure bigger than any individual. Compare the full record: Pakistan prime minister list.
What the Polls and History Say
Public opinion surveys on “best PM” swing with the news cycle — Imran Khan topped several polls during and after his 2018–22 tenure on anti-corruption sentiment; Nawaz Sharif polls strongly in Punjab on development; Bhutto remains iconic in Sindh. Historians tend to weight constitutional and institutional legacy — where Bhutto’s 1973 Constitution and Liaquat’s founding stewardship score highest. The honest answer: Pakistan’s best PM is a mirror of who’s asking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is considered the best PM of Pakistan?
Opinions split mainly between Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan depending on political leaning — with Liaquat Ali Khan the consensus founding figure. There is no settled answer.
Who served the longest as PM?
Nawaz Sharif — roughly nine years across three terms (1990–93, 1997–99, 2013–17), the only person elected thrice.
