Prime Minister House is a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

located in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, Pakistan. It is the official residence of

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 ...

History

Prime Minister House was built during the reign of

Muhammad Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, comm ...

. In the 1990s, during the second term of Prime Minister

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 ...

, her husband

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 ...

controversially ordered the development of a

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

complex on 11.5 acres of protected

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

adjacent to the property. The project included a polo field, an exercise track,

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

s for 40

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s, accommodations for

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and Groomsman, ...

s, and a

parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and usually leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the bu ...

area for

spectator ''Spectator'' or ''The Spectator'' may refer to: *Spectator sport, a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches *Audience Publications Canada * '' The Hamilton Spectator'', a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, ...

s. When senior official Mohammed Mehdi raised objections to the diversion of $1.3 million from public amenity budgets to fund the project, Zardari reportedly dismissed his concerns and later had Mehdi removed from his position, as stated in an

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...

filed by Mehdi with investigators. From 1968 to 2018, the palace also served as the

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

of the

. In December 2018, it was proposed to convert the residence of the Prime Minister of Pakistan into a research university. In first phase, the Institute of Advanced Studies for the research would be established. However, no progress was made on it, and

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

, the then

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 ...

who announced it was criticized for not fulfilling his promise.

Buildings

Prime Minister Office Wing

The Prime Minister's office wing, situated within the

House, comprises the Prime Minister's office, which includes a designated meeting area for the PM to hold discussions with guests and ministers. The wing features galleries displaying portraits of

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...

, Pakistan's first Prime Minister, and

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

, the founding father of Pakistan. The wing also contains the office of the

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan The secretary to the prime minister of Pakistan (also referred to as SPM or PM's chief of staff) is the administrative head and highest-ranking official of the Prime Minister's Office. The position holder is usually an officer belonging to the ...

, a

waiting room A waiting room or waiting hall is a building, or more commonly a part of a building or a room, where people sit or stand until the event or appointment for which they are waiting begins. There are two types of physical waiting room. One has in ...

for press meetings, a press media hall,

conference room A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. Room It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...

s, guest rooms,

banquet hall A banquet hall, function hall, or reception hall, is a special purpose room, or a building, used for hosting large social and business events. Typically a banquet hall is capable of serving dozens to hundreds of people a meal in a timely fashion. P ...

s, and a cabinet meeting room.

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

was the first to occupy the Prime Minister's office in the early 1990s, followed by

. After the removal of Nawaz Sharif's government by Pervaiz Musharraf, the office was used as Musharraf's camp house, although he primarily resided at the GHQ. The office was subsequently used by

Zafarullah Khan Jamali Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali (1 January 1944 – 2 December 2020) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 2002 to 2004. He was the first and only elected prime minister from Balochistan, Pakistan. Born int ...

Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz (born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani-born British former banker who served as the 15th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007. When his term as Prime Minister was over, he immediately left Pakistan and se ...

Shujaat Hussain Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (born 27 January 1946) is a senior Pakistani politician who previously served as 16th prime minister of Pakistan. Hussain is the Party chair, party president of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), PML(Q) since 2003. Hailing ...

, Yousuf Raza Gillani,

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (born 26 December 1950) is a Punjabis, Punjabi Pakistani politician, businessman and agriculturist who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from June 2012 to March 2013 and as the Speake ...

, and Nawaz Sharif. Malik Meraj Khalid and

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (born 27 December 1958) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 18th prime minister of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. He also currently leads Awaam Pakistan (AP) as ...

, both former Prime Ministers, chose not to reside in the PM House and used only the PM office during their tenures.

Banquet for the State Guests

The Prime Minister of Pakistan House includes a banquet hall to host state guests. The hall is spacious and can accommodate a large number of people, including media representatives.

Cabinet Meeting Room

The Cabinet Meeting Room was constructed during the last tenure of former Prime Minister

to hold cabinet meetings. The room features gold-plated elements and modern furnishings. It serves as a dedicated space for the prime minister and cabinet members to convene and discuss matters of national importance.

Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), also known as the Prime Minister's Secretariat until its renaming by former Prime Minister

in 2013, serves as the primary workplace of the

. The PMO is headed by the

, who oversees the office's operations and manages the Prime Minister's administrative and secretarial tasks.

Prime Minister Conference Hall

The conference hall was specifically designed to host large gatherings addressed by the prime minister. The hall is spacious and furnished with chandeliers and furniture. It has been the venue for multiple meetings of the National Security Cabinet Council, attended by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI), and other high-ranking military officials.

Military Secretary Office

The Prime Minister of Pakistan House includes an office for the military secretary. During the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, this office was used by his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, as a media monitoring cell.

Press Auditorium

A Press Auditorium is situated in the basement of the Prime Minister of Pakistan House. It is intended for the Prime Minister to address the media, but it has rarely been used for this purpose, as no Prime Minister has held press conferences there to answer media questions. The auditorium is primarily used for press conferences during visits by foreign delegations.

Prime Minister Family Wing

Prime Minister Family Wing is a five-room residence for the prime minister's family. The residence consists of three bedrooms, including a master bedroom and two additional bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a drawing room, a dining room, a small kitchen, and a small outdoor area for children.

Facilities

The palace consists of 800 Kanals and additional 300 Kanals for Prime Minister's Office and had over 500 servants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Minister's House

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 ...

Palaces in Pakistan * Prime ministerial residences in Pakistan Buildings and structures in Islamabad Continuity of government in Pakistan Prime Minister's House (Pakistan) 1968 establishments in Pakistan Buildings and structures completed in 1968