Political System of Pakistan

Course Title: Pakistani Culture & Society

Course Code: GC-109
Course Instructor: Faiza Maryam

Political System of Pakistan

The politics of Pakistan takes place within the framework established by
the constitution. The country is a federal parliamentary republic in which provincial
governments enjoy a high degree of autonomy and residuary powers. Executive power is
vested with the national cabinet which is headed by the prime minister, who works coherently
along with the bicameral parliament and the judicature. Stipulations set by the constitution
provide a delicate check and balance of sharing powers between executive, legislative,
and judicial branches of the government.
The head of state is the president who is elected by the Electoral College for a five-
year term. The president was a significant authority until the 18th amendment, passed in
2010, stripped the presidency of its major powers. Since then, Pakistan has been shifted from
a Semi-presidential system to a purely parliamentary government.

The Government consists of three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The
Executive branch consists of the Cabinet and is led by the Prime Minister. It is totally
independent of the legislative branch that consists of a bicameral parliament. The Upper
House is the Senate whilst the National Assembly is the lower house. The Judicial
branch forms with the composition of the Supreme Court as an apex court, alongside the high
courts and other inferior courts. The judiciary's function is to interpret the Constitution and
federal laws and regulations.

Pakistan is a multiparty democracy where several political parties compete for seats in
the National and Provincial assemblies. However, as an aftermath of the Fall of Dhaka in
1971, a two-party system was inculcated between the Peoples Party and Muslim League.
There has also been a sharp rise in the popularity of centrist parties such that PML-
Q and PTI. The Military establishment has played an influential role in the country's politics.
From 1950s to 2000s, several coups were staged that overthrew democratic regimes.
However, after the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf in 2008, a sharp line has been
drawn between the Military and politics and Pakistan is moving closer to becoming a liberal
democracy.
 Political System of Pakistan

Executive Branch
The president of Pakistan, in keeping with the constitutional provision that the state
religion is Islam, must be a Muslim. Elected for a five-year term by an Electoral
College consisting of members of the Senate and National Assembly and members of the
provincial assemblies, the president is eligible for re-election. But no individual may hold the
office for more than two consecutive terms. The president may resign or be impeached and
may be removed from office due to incapacity or gross misconduct by a two-thirds vote of
the members of the parliament. The president generally acts on the advice of the prime
minister but has important residual powers.

One of the most important of these powers—a legacy of General Muhammad Zia-ul-
Haq—is the president's power to dissolve the National Assembly "in his discretion where, in
has arisen in which the Government of the Federation cannot be carried on in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitution and an appeal to the electorate is necessary." This
power has twice been granted —by the Eighth Amendment in 1985 and by the Seventeenth
Amendment in 2003—and has twice been revoked—by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1997
and by the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010. Despite this most recent power-stripping, the
President remains the ex officio chair of the National Security Council, as per the National
Security Act 2004.

The prime minister is appointed by the members of the National Assembly through a
vote. The prime minister is assisted by the Federal Cabinet, a council of ministers whose
members are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. The Federal
Cabinet comprises the ministers, ministers of state, and advisers. there are major thirty-three
ministerial portfolios: commerce; communications; culture; defence; defence production;
education; environment; finance and economic affairs; food and agriculture; foreign affairs;
health; housing; information and broadcasting; interior; Kashmiri affairs and Northern Areas;
law and justice; local government; minority affairs; narcotics control; parliamentary affairs;
petroleum and natural resources production; planning and development; railways; religious
affairs; science and technology; social welfare; special education; sports; state and frontier
regions; tourism; water and power; women's development; and youth affairs.

Legislative Branch
The bicameral federal legislature consists of the Senate (upper house) and National
Assembly (lower house). According to Article 50 of the Constitution, the National Assembly,
 Political System of Pakistan

the Senate and the President together make up a body known as the Majlis-e-Shoora (Council
of Advisers).

Pakistan's democracy has no recall method. However, past governments have been
dismissed for corruption by the President's invocation of Article 58 of the Constitution. The
President's power to dismiss the Prime Minister and dissolve the National Assembly was
removed by the Thirteenth Amendment and partially restored by the Seventeenth
Amendment.

Senate
The Senate is a permanent legislative body with equal representation from each of the
four provinces, elected by the members of their respective provincial assemblies. There are
representatives from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and from Islamabad Capital
Territory. The chairman of the Senate, under the constitution, is next in line to act as
president should the office become vacant and until such time as a new president can be
formally elected. Both the Senate and the National Assembly can initiate and pass legislation
except for finance bills. Only the National Assembly can approve the federal budget and all
finance bills. In the case of other bills, the president may prevent passage unless the
legislature in joint sitting overrules the president by a majority of members of both houses
present and voting. Unlike the National Assembly, the Senate cannot be dissolved by the
President.

National Assembly
Members of the National Assembly are elected by universal adult suffrage (formerly
twenty-one years of age and older but the seventeenth amendment changed it to eighteen
years of age.). Seats are allocated to each of the four provinces, the former Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, and Islamabad Capital Territory on the basis of population.
National Assembly members serve for the parliamentary term, which is five years, unless
they die or resign sooner, or unless the National Assembly is dissolved. Although the vast
majority of the members are Muslim, about 5 percent of the seats are reserved for minorities,
including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. Elections for minority seats are held on the basis of
separate electorates at the same time as the polls for Muslim seats during the general
elections. There are also 50+ special seats for women now, and women are selected (i.e. not
directly elected in the general election but given representation according to how their parties
performed in the general election) on these seat by their party head.
 Political System of Pakistan

Judicial Branch

The judiciary includes the Supreme Court, provincial high courts, District & sessions
Courts, Civil and Magistrate courts exercising civil and criminal jurisdiction. Some federal
and provincial courts and tribunals such as Services court, Income tax & excise court,
Banking court and Boards of Revenue's Tribunals are as well established in all provinces.

Provincial Governments

Pakistan is subdivided into 4 provinces, 1 territory, and 1 capital territory. Each

province has a Provincial Assembly, a directly elected legislature. Members are elected for
five-year terms. Each Assembly elects a Chief Minister, who then selects the ministers of his
or her cabinet.

The subdivisions of Pakistan

 Balochistan
 Islamabad Capital Territory
 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
 Punjab
 Sindh
 Gilgit–Baltistan

Foreign Relations

Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country in terms of population, and its status as
a declared nuclear power, being the only Muslim nation to have that status, plays a part in its
international role. It is also an active member of the United Nations. Historically, its foreign
policy has encompassed difficult relations with India, a desire for a stable Afghanistan, long-
standing close relations with the People's Republic of China, extensive security and
economic interests in the Persian Gulf and wide-ranging bilateral relations with the United
States and other Western countries. Pakistan is also an important member of the Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Pakistan has used the OIC as a forum for Enlightened
Moderation, its plan to promote a renaissance and enlightenment in the Islamic world.
 Political System of Pakistan

Wary of Soviet expansion, Pakistan had strong relations with both the United States
of America and the People's Republic of China during much of the Cold War. It was a
member of the CENTO and SEATO military alliances. Its alliance with the United States was
especially close after the Soviets invaded the neighbouring country of Afghanistan.

In 1964, Pakistan signed the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) Pact with
Turkey and Iran, when all three countries were closely allied with the U.S., and as neighbours
of the Soviet Union, wary of perceived Soviet expansionism. To this day, Pakistan has a close
relationship with Turkey. RCD became defunct after the Iranian Revolution, and a Pakistani-
Turkish initiative led to the founding of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in
1985. Pakistan's relations with India have not improved recently and this has opened up
Pakistan's foreign policy to issues beyond security. This development might completely
change the complexion of Pakistan's foreign relations. Pakistan joined Non-Aligned
Movement in 1979.

Elections and Voting System

Since 1947, Pakistan has an asymmetric federal government, with elected officials at
the national (federal), provincial, tribal, and local levels. Constitution has set the limit of
government for five years, but if a Vote of no confidence movements takes place in the
parliament (and prelude of movements are proved at the Judicial branch), the government
falls and immediately replaced with caretaker government initiated by the president
(consultation of Prime Minister also required to make such move), in regards to Article 58 of
the constitution. There has been four times that the martial law has been in effect, and
controversially approved by the Supreme Court. Through a general election where the leader
of the majority winning party is selected to be the Prime Minister. All members of the federal
legislature, the Parliament, are directly elected. Elections in Pakistan take place every five
years by universal adult suffrage.