He was elected for the first time to the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from PK-23 Mardan constituency in 2008 Pakistani general election.[7] Following the election, he was elected as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in March 2008[2] where he remained until March 2013.[8] He is considered as the youngest[1] and the longest-serving elected chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[8]