The Governor of Punjab is the appointed head of state of the provincial government in Punjab, Pakistan. The governor is designated by the Prime Minister and is normally regarded a ceremonial post. However, throughout the history of Pakistan, the powers of the provincial governors were vastly increased, when the provincial assemblies were dissolved and the administrative role came under direct control of the governors, as in the cases of martial laws of 1958-1972 and 1977-1985, and governor rules of 1999-2002. In the case of Punjab, there was direct governor rule in 1949-1951, when the provincial chief minister of that time was removed and assemblies dissolved.
The most recent Governor was Salmaan Taseer, a business tycoon who was the Chairman and CEO of the First Capital and Worldcall Group, and who was assassinated on 4 January 2011[1].
Following is the list of Punjab governors after independence of Pakistan from British Raj.
| Name of Governor | Entered Office | Left Office | Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Francis Mudie | 15 August 1947 | 2 August 1949 | Muslim League |
| Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar | 2 August 1949 | 24 November 1951 | Muslim League |
| Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar | 24 November 1951 | 2 May 1953 | Muslim League |
| Mian Aminuddin | 2 May 1953 | 24 June 1954 | Muslim League |
| Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola | 26 September 1954 | 26 November 1954 | Independent |
| Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani | 27 November 1954 | 14 October 1955 | Muslim League |
| Part of West Pakistan province | 14 October 1955 | 1 July 1970 | |
| Lieutenant-General Attiqur Rahman, PA | 1 July 1970 | December 1971 | Military Administration |
| Ghulam Mustafa Khar (1st term) | December 1971 | February 1973 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Hanif Ramay | February 1973 | March 1974 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Sadiq Hussain Qureshi | March 1974 | 13 March 1975 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Ghulam Mustafa Khar (2nd term) | 13 March 1975 | 31 July 1975 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Mohammad Abbas Abbasi | 31 July 1975 | September 1977 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Aslam Riaz Hussain | September 1977 | September 1978 | Pakistan Peoples Party - He was Chief Justice of Lahore High Court and was appointed as Governor by Military Janta of Zia Ul Haq |
| Lieutenant-General Sawar Khan, PA | September 1978 | March 1980 | Military Administration |
| Lieutenant-General (retired) Ghulam Jilani Khan, PA | March 1980 | December 1985 | Military Administration |
| Makhdoom Sajjad Hussain Qureshi | December 1985 | December 1988 | Civil Administration |
| General (retired) Tikka Khan | December 1988 | August 1990 | Pakistan Peoples Party. |
| Mian Muhammad Azhar | August 1990 | 1992 | Islami Jamhoori Ittehad |
| Chaudhary Altaf Hussain | 1992 | 21 May 1995 | Belonged to PPP however was close aide of Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan, the then President of Pakistan. |
| Lieutenant-General (retired) Raja Saroop Khan, PA | 19 June 1995 | 5 November 1996 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Khawaja Tariq Rahim | 5 November 1996 | 10 March 1997 | Pakistan Peoples Party - he was appointed by Mr. Farooq Lughari after removing Government of Benazir Bhutto. |
| Shahid Hamid | 10 March 1997 | 17 August 1999 | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| Zulfiqar Ali Khosa | 17 August 1999 | 21 October 1999 | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| Lieutenant General (retired) Muhammad Safdar | 21 October 1999 | 29 October 2001 | Military Administration |
| Lieutenant-General (retired) Khalid Maqbool | 29 October 2001 | 16 May 2008 | Military Administration (till 2004) |
| Salmaan Taseer* | 17 May 2008 | 4 January 2011 | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Latif Khosa | 13 January 2011 | Incumbent[2] | Pakistan Peoples Party |
*Pakistan's first governor assassinated while in office