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The Defence Minister of Pakistan heads the Ministry of Defence, under which serve the three armed forces of the country, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, and Pakistan Navy. 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, not also to be the head of the government, was General Ayub Khan, then Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army. From the 1980 onwards, the defence minister became a unique personality, and presently it is considered one of the big five cabinet portfolio along with the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Interior Minister portfolios.
The current Defence Minister is Ahmad Mukhtar who took over on 31 March, 2008.
| Name of Defence Minister | Entered Office | Left Office |
|---|---|---|
| Liaquat Ali Khan | 15 August, 1947 | 16 October, 1951 |
| Khawaja Nazimuddin | 24 October, 1951 | 17 April, 1953 |
| Muhammad Ali Bogra | 17 April, 1953 | 24 October, 1954 |
| General Ayub Khan | 24 October, 1954 | 11 August, 1955 |
| Chaudhry Muhammad Ali | 11 August, 1955 | 12 September, 1956 |
| Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy | 12 September, 1956 | 18 October, 1957 |
| Mian Mumtaz Daultana | 18 October, 1957 | 18 December, 1957 |
| Feroz Khan Noon | 18 December, 1957 | 8 April, 1958 |
| Muhammad Ayub Khuhro | 8 April, 1958 | 7 October, 1958 |
| General Ayub Khan | 28 October, 1958 | 21 October, 1966 |
| V/Adm (r) A.R. Khan | 12 October, 1966 | 5 April, 1969 |
| General Yahya Khan | 5 April, 1969 | 20 December, 1971 |
| Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 24 December, 1971 | 5 July, 1977 |
| General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 14 January, 1978 | 27 August, 1978 |
| Ali Ahmad Talpur | 27 August, 1978 | 26 February, 1985 |
| General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 26 February, 1985 | 24 March, 1985 |
| Muhammad Khan Junejo | 24 March, 1985 | 29 May, 1988 |
| Mahmoud Haroon (caretaker) | 9 June, 1988 | 1 December, 1988 |
| Benazir Bhutto | 4 December, 1988 | 6 August, 1990 |
| Ghous Ali Shah | 10 September, 1991 | 17 July, 1993 |
| Aftab Shaban Mirani | 19 October, 1993 | 5 November, 1996 |
| Shahid Hamid (caretaker) | 5 November, 1996 | 17 February, 1997 |
| Nawaz Sharif | 17 February, 1997 | 12 October, 1999 |
| General Pervez Musharraf | 12 October, 1999 | 23 November, 2002 |
| Rao Sikandar Iqbal | 23 November, 2002 | 15 November, 2007 |
| Salim Abbas Jilani (caretaker) | 16 November, 2007 | 25 March, 2008 |
| Ahmad Mukhtar | 31 March, 2008 | Incumbent |