Pakistan’s former prime ministers don’t fade away — they come back. (Three of them have.) Here’s where the living former premiers are in 2026: in power, in prison, in exile, or in the background pulling strings.
Quick answer: Living former PMs (2026): Nawaz Sharif (PML-N supremo, active), Imran Khan (imprisoned since 2023), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (PTI-era PM, now detached), Yousaf Raza Gillani (Senate), Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (NA Speaker 2022–24), Shaukat Aziz (abroad), Zafarullah Jamali (d. 2020).
In this guide
The Big Two
- Nawaz Sharif — three-time PM (1990–93, 1997–99, 2013–17); disqualified 2017, exiled, returned 2023; now the PML-N supremo behind his brother’s government. The only triple premier.
- Imran Khan — PM 2018–22, ousted by no-confidence; imprisoned since 2023 on multiple convictions (Toshakhana, cipher, Iddat cases — some overturned/suspended on appeal); still the PTI’s undisputed leader and Pakistan’s most consequential political prisoner.
The Others
- Shahid Khaqan Abbasi — PM 2017–18; left PML-N, launched his own political platform; the elder-statesman commentator.
- Yousaf Raza Gillani — PM 2008–12 (disqualified); PPP stalwart, Senate opposition leader.
- Raja Pervaiz Ashraf — PM 2012–13; National Assembly Speaker 2022–24.
- Shaukat Aziz — PM 2004–07; lives abroad, finance-world figure.
- Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain — interim PM 2004; PML-Q elder.
The Pattern
No Pakistani PM has ever retired quietly: they’re ousted, jailed, exiled — or they return. Nawaz came back twice; Benazir came back; Shehbaz came back. The premiership is a revolving door with a return ticket. The full list: Pakistan prime minister list.
The Ones Who Never Left
Two prime ministers died violently in office: Liaquat Ali Khan (assassinated 1951) and Benazir Bhutto (assassinated 2007, campaigning to return). Both at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi — the same ground, 56 years apart. Pakistan’s premiership has always been a dangerous job; no other democracy has lost two premiers to assassins. Their mausoleums — Karachi and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh — are pilgrimage sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many former PMs are alive?
Seven-plus living former premiers, led by Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan — Pakistani ex-PMs rarely leave politics.
Where is Imran Khan now?
Imprisoned since 2023 on multiple convictions (some overturned or suspended on appeal), disqualified from office, but still the PTI’s leader. See Imran Khan’s PM tenure.
