The Ministry of Defence is an executive ministry of the Government of Pakistan, tasked in defending Pakistan’s national interests and values at home and abroad. It plays a major supporting role to the Pakistan Armed Forces and coordinates with a range of domestic, foreign and inter-governmental bodies.

The existence and functions of the ministry are statutorily defined in Part XII, Chapter II of the Constitution of Pakistan. The responsibilities for procurement, production and disposal of equipment were transferred in 2004 to the Ministry of Defence Production. The Ministry of Defence is one of the largest federal ministries of the Government of Pakistan in terms of budget as well as staff.

The Minister of Defence is Cabinet member, who is responsible for controlling the armed forces. The current Minister of Defence is Pervez Khan Khattak. The Secretary of Defence is the senior-most administrative figure within the ministry, who in recent decades has typically been a retired three-star Pakistani army general. The assistant secretaries serving under him are serving flag-officers belonging to the respective services.

The following is a simplified representation of the MoD’s senior leadership:

• Minister of Defence (political head)
  • Secretary of Defence (administrative head)
    • Assistant Secretary I (Army)
      • Joint Secretary I (Army)
      • Joint Secretary III (Coordination)
    • Assistant Secretary II (Admin / PAF)
      • Joint Secretary V (Budgets & Public Accounts Committee)
      • Joint Secretary VII (Air Force)
    • Assistant Secretary III (Navy)
      • Joint Secretary II (Navy & Maritime)
      • Joint Secretary IV (Inter-Services)