Events from the year 2008 in Pakistan.

Incumbents

Federal government

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

: ** until 18 August:

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

** 18 August-9 September:

Muhammad Mian Soomro Muhammad Mian Soomro (; ; born 19 August 1950) is a Pakistani politician, banker and senator who has served as Chairman of the Senate, Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan and Acting President of Pakistan. He also served as the 26th Governor ...

** starting 9 September:

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(acting) (starting 16 November) * Chief Justice:

Abdul Hameed Dogar Abdul Hameed Dogar () is a Pakistani jurist who served as the former Justice of Sindh High Court,

(acting)

Governors

Governor of Balochistan The Governor of Balochistan is the head of the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The post was established on 1 July 1970, after the dissolution of West Pakistan province and the end of One Unit. Under Pakistan's current parliamentary system, the ...

–

Owais Ahmed Ghani Owais Ahmed Ghani (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani politician who served as the governor of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in 2008-2011, having previously governed the southwestern province of Balochistan for four and a half years (2003-2008). ...

(until 5 January);

Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi (Urdu: ; born 14 February 1954) was the 19th Governor of Balochistan since 28 February 2008 to 9 June 2013 as well as the Chief Executive of Balochistan since 14 January 2013. Magsi also served as Chief Minister of Ba ...

(starting 5 January) *

Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as Governor of North-West Frontier Province) is the appointed head of state of the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province, or NWFP), Pakistan. Alth ...

– Ali Jan Aurakzai (until 7 January);

(starting 7 January) * Governor of Punjab –

Khalid Maqbool Khalid Maqbool Vohra () (born 1948) is a Pakistani military officer who served as Governor of Punjab between October 2001 and May 2008. He is the longest-serving governor of Punjab in Pakistani history. Early life and education Khalid Maqb ...

(until 16 May);

Salmaan Taseer Salman Taseer (; 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 34th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, he was elected to the ...

(starting 16 May) *

Governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...

–

Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan Ishratul Ibad Khan (, born 2 March 1963) is a British-Pakistani doctor and politician who served as the 30th governor of Sindh, Pakistan. He took up the post of Governor of Sindh, Pakistan on 27 December 2002, becoming the youngest governor to ...

Events

January

*2 January –

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

announces that elections originally scheduled for 8 January will be postponed until the 18 February, following the

assassination of Benazir Bhutto The assassination of Benazir Bhutto () took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and then-leader of the opposition party Pakistan People's Party, had been campaigning ahead o ...

. *3 January – Benazir Bhutto assassination:

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

denies any role in

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

's death
(CNN)
*11 January – Beginning of Islamic Hijri year 1429 First of

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

on Friday 11 January 2008. *19 January - Saturday 9th of

, Official holiday in

in memory of the martyrdom of

Imam Hussain Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter ...

*20 January – Sunday 10th of

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites ...

, an official holiday in Pakistan-In memory of the martyrdom of

*31 January – The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

announces that

Abu Laith al-Libi Abu al-Layth al-Libi (; 1 January 1967 – 29 January 2008), born Ali Ammar Ashur al-Raqiai, was a Libyan militant who was a leader of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan who appeared in several al-Qaeda videos. He was believed to have been active in the tri ...

, a senior commander of

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

who recruited and trained operatives, was killed in a missile strike in

northwest Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

February

*9 February – 15 People are killed in an election rally in

Charsada Chārsadda (; ; ; ) is a town and headquarters of Charsadda District, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

is believed to have been kidnapped by suspected pro-

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

militants. *12 February – The Government of Pakistan steps up security for "fair, transparent and peaceful" elections scheduled for 18 February. *13 February – Pakistan test fires a nuclear capable short range ballistic missile. *Two suspects confessed to a judge that they helped to arm the suicide bomber who killed Bhutto. *14 February – Three soldiers are killed by a bomb explosion near Khair,

Surabaja Surabaya is the capital city of East Java province and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strait, it is one of the earliest port cities in Southeast Asia. Acco ...

. *15 February – Pakistan announces the arrest of a fifth man in connection with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. *Pakistan and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

agree to double the number of flights between the two nations. *16 February – 37 people are killed in a

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

in the town of

Parachinar Parachinar (; ) is a city and the capital of the Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Parachinar is situated on the west of Peshawar, that juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With ...

at an election rally. *18 February – Elections take place in Pakistan. *19 February – Election results show that President Musharraf's party Pakistan Muslim League (Q) have received a heavy defeat. *21 February – Pakistan's two main opposition parties agree to form a coalition following the elections. *29 February – At least 45 people died and 82 were wounded in a suicide attack on the funeral February 29, 2008 of a district superintendent of police – killed earlier in the day in a separate attack – in

Swat A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

province.

March

*22 March – The PPP nominate

Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani (born 9 June 1952) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan since 2024. Chairman Gilani served as the acti ...

to become the

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

. *25 March – Yousaf Raza Gillani is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan. *24 March – Prime minister Gillani vows to free judges who were detained during emergency rule. *29 March – PM Gillani announces to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

that the fight against terrorism will be the top priority of the new government.

April

*1 April – The new government of Pakistan announces that it will rethink the policy on militants. *15 April –

Musharraf announces he is lobbying the

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

government to build gas and oil pipelines. *16 April – The

Olympic torch The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...

arrives in Pakistan. *19 April – Taliban rebels release a video of Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan who they are holding as a hostage.

May

*12 May – PML (N) quits the cabinet, following the failure to restore judges. *16 May – Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan,

Tariq Azizuddin Tariq Azizuddin was Pakistan's ambassador to Turkey. He was ambassador to Afghanistan when he was taken hostage by terrorists from the Tehrik-i-Taliban on Monday February 11, 2008. Tariq was traveling, by road, from his home in Peshawar, to ...

was set free by kidnappers. *17 May – Lawyers announced their plan for Long March to be held on 10 June, for the Restoration of Judges.

June

*1 June – Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed left

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League" (officially registered as the Pakistan Muslim League) is a political party in Pakistan. As of the 2024 parliamentary e ...

and formed his new Party, Awami Muslim League. *2 June – Car bomb attack near

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Embassy kills 8 people. .

July

*6 July – A suicide bomber attacked a police station in Islamabad killing 12 policemen and seven civilians in a rally marking the first anniversary of Lal Masjid siege.

August

* 12 August – First National Youth Awards conferred. * 18 August – President Pervez Musharraf, faced with the prospect of being impeached, resigns from the office of president. * 19 August – 32 people were killed while 55 injured in an attack in

Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...

carried by

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current ...

. * 23 August – At least 15 people were killed in a suicide attack at a police check post in Char Bagh area of Swat. Also, three persons including two kids were killed in a bomb blast in Abuha.

September

*9 September –

became 11th

*20 September – The Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing executed by unidentified terrorists kills 54 people and injures 266.

References

{{Year in Asia, 2008

2000s in Pakistan Years of the 21st century in Pakistan