Government
Pakistan
was created entirely through a democratic and constitutional
struggle. Islam is the anchor-sheet of Pakistan
and democracy is ingrained deep into the Muslim psyche. Islam
permits no "hero worship". Pakistan's record of
parliamentary democracy may be checkered but its return to this
form after each pause and break more than vindicates the fact that
democratic traditions are deep-rooted in Pakistan's policy.
The Constitution of
the Islamic Republic of Pakistan provides for a Federal
Parliamentary System of government, with President as the Head of
State and the popularly elected Prime Minister as Head of
government. The Federal Legislature is a bicameral Majlis-e-Shoora
(Parliament), composed of the National Assembly and the Senate.
The Constitution also provides for the President to address the
two Houses assembled together at the commencement of the first
session after General Elections.
Pervez Musharraf
has been chief of state since June 20, 2001. A prolonged
confrontation over authority between Parliament and the President
ended in December 2002 with a compromise which permitted passage
of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) of 2002, under the terms of
which President Musharraf made his pledge to resign his military
position as Commander-in-Chief in late 2004. In 2004 General
Musharraf announced that he would retain his military role.
The Pakistan
Constitution of 1973, amended substantially in 1985 under Zia
ul-Haq, was suspended by the military government in October 1999.
It was restored on December 31, 2002. Selected provisions of the
Constitution pertaining to changes that President Musharraf made
while the Constitution was suspended remain contested by political
opponents.
The president is
chosen for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of
the Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies. The
prime minister is selected by the National Assembly for a
four-year term. The bicameral parliament--or
Majlis-e-Shoora--consists of the Senate (100 seats; members are
indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve four-year
terms) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 60 seats reserved for
women, 10 seats reserved for minorities; members elected by
popular vote serve four-year terms). Each of the four
provinces--Punjab, Sindh, Northwest Frontier, and Balochistan--has
a Chief Minister and provincial assembly. The Northern Areas, Azad
Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are
administered by the federal government but enjoy considerable
autonomy. The cabinet, National Security Council, and governors
serve at the president's discretion.
The judicial system
comprises a Supreme Court, provincial high courts, and Federal
Islamic (or Shari'a) Court. The Supreme Court is Pakistan's
highest court. The president appoints the chief justice and they
together determine the other judicial appointments. Each province
has a high court, the justices of which are appointed by the
president after conferring with the chief justice of the Supreme
Court and the provincial chief justice. The judiciary is
proscribed from issuing any order contrary to the decisions of the
President. Federal Sharia Court hears cases that primarily involve
Sharia, or Islamic law. Legislation enacted in 1991 gave legal
status to Sharia. Although Sharia was declared the law of the
land, it did not replace the existing legal code.
The Pakistan Muslim
League (PML) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) are national
political parties, while the Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)--an
umbrella group of six religious parties, including the
Jamaat-il-Islami--gained significant influence during the 2002
election. After those elections, the Pakistani political system
remained highly fragmented, with no group winning a substantial
majority of seats in the national assembly, and religious groups
banding together in the MMA to earn a significant portion of seats
for the first time.
According to the
constitution, Pakistan is a federation of four provinces:
Baluchistan, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, and
Sindh. Governors appointed by the president head the provinces.
There is also the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and
the Islamabad Capital Territory, which consists of the capital
city of Islamabad. These areas and territory are under the
jurisdiction of the federal government. The Northern Areas are
administered as a de facto "Union Territory" and are
treated as an integral part of Pakistan. The
Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir
region includes Azad Kashmir, a separate and autonomous government
that maintains strong ties to Pakistan.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Pervez Musharraf
Prime Minister (head of government)--Shaukat Aziz
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Khurshid Kasuri
Ambassador to the U.S.--Jehangir Karamat
Ambassador to the UN--Munir Akram
Pakistan maintains
an embassy in the United States in Washington, DC and it has
consulates in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Houston.
National
Security
Pakistan has the
world's eighth-largest armed forces, which is generally well
trained and disciplined. However, budget constraints and
nation-building duties have reduced Pakistan's training tempo,
which if not reversed, could affect the operational readiness of
the armed forces. Likewise, Pakistan has had an increasingly
difficult time maintaining their aging fleet of U.S., Chinese,
U.K., and French equipment. While industrial capabilities have
expanded significantly, limited budget resources and sanctions
have significantly constrained the government's efforts to
modernize its armed forces.
Until 1990, the
United States provided military aid to Pakistan to modernize its
conventional defensive capability. The United States allocated
about 40% of its assistance package to non-reimbursable credits
for military purchases, the third-largest program behind Israel
and Egypt. The remainder of the aid program was devoted to
economic assistance. Sanctions put in place in 1990 denied
Pakistan further military assistance due to the discovery of its
program to develop nuclear weapons. Sanctions were tightened
following Pakistan's nuclear tests in response to India's May 1998
tests and the military coup of 1999. Pakistan has remained a
non-signatory of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty. The events
of September 11, 2001, and Pakistan's agreement to support the
United States led to a waiving of the sanctions, and military
assistance resumed to provide spare parts and equipment to enhance
Pakistan's capacity to police its western border and address its
legitimate security concerns. In 2003, President Bush announced
that the United States would provide Pakistan with $3 billion in
economic and military aid over 5 years. This assistance package
commenced during FY 2005.
Government
::Pakistan CIA
facts
Country
name:
|
conventional
long form: Islamic
Republic of Pakistan
conventional
short form: Pakistan
local long
form: Jamhuryat
Islami Pakistan
local short
form: Pakistan
former: West
Pakistan
|
|
Government
type:
|
federal
republic
|
|
Capital:
|
name: Islamabad
geographic
coordinates: 33
42 N, 73 10 E
time
difference: UTC+5
(10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
|
|
Administrative
divisions:
|
4 provinces,
1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**;
Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal
Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier
Province), Punjab, Sindh
note:
the
Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed
Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two
administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and
Gilgit-Baltistan
|
|
Independence:
|
14 August
1947 (from British India)
|
|
National
holiday:
|
Republic Day,
23 March (1956)
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|
Constitution:
|
12 April
1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored 30
December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999,
restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December
2003; suspended 3 November 2007; restored on 15
December 2007; amended 19 April 2010
|
|
Legal
system:
|
based on
English common law with provisions to
accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic
state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
|
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of
age; universal; joint electorates and reserved
parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
|
|
Executive
branch:
|
chief of
state: President
Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 9 September 2008)
head of
government: Prime
Minister Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI (since 25 March
2008)
cabinet: Cabinet
appointed by the president upon the advice of
the prime minister
elections: the
president elected by secret ballot through an
Electoral College comprising the members of the
Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial
assemblies for a five-year term; election last
held on 6 September 2008 (next to be held not
later than 2013); note - any person who is a
Muslim and not less than 45 years of age and is
qualified to be elected as a member of the
National Assembly can contest the presidential
election; the prime minister selected by the
National Assembly; election last held on 24
March 2008
election
results: Asif
Ali ZARDARI elected president; ZARDARI 481
votes, SIDDIQUE 153 votes, SYED 44 votes; Syed
Yousuf Raza GILANI elected prime minister;
GILANI 264 votes, Pervaiz ELAHI 42 votes;
several abstentions
|
|
Legislative
branch:
|
bicameral
parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the
Senate (100 seats; members indirectly elected by
provincial assemblies and the territories'
representatives in the National Assembly to
serve six-year terms; one half are elected every
three years) and the National Assembly (342
seats; 272 members elected by popular vote; 60
seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for
non-Muslims; members serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate
- last held on 3 March 2009 (next to be held in
March 2012); National Assembly - last held on 18
February 2008 with by-elections on 26 June 2008
(next to be held in 2013)
election
results: Senate
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party
- PPPP 27, PML-Q 21, MMA 9, PML-N 7, ANP 6, MQM
6, JUI-F 4, BNP-A 2, JWP 1, NPP 1, PKMAP 1, PML-F
1, PPP 1, independents 13; National Assembly -
percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party
as of October 2010 - PPPP 127, PML-N 90, PML 51,
MQM 25, ANP 13, JUI-F 8, PML-F 5, BNP-A 1, NPP
1, PPP-S 1, independents 18, unfilled seats - 2
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Judicial
branch:
|
Supreme Court
(justices appointed by the president); Federal
Islamic or Sharia Court
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Political
parties and leaders:
|
Awami
National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN];
Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A [Moheem
Khan BALOCH]; Balochistan National Party-Hayee
Group or BNP-H [Dr. Hayee BALOCH]; Balochistan
National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Ataullah
MENGAL]; Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Syed Munawar
HASAN]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat Ahle
Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat Ulema-i Islam
Fazl-ur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazl-ur REHMAN]; Jamiat
Ulema-i Islam Sami-ul HAQ or JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ];
Jamiat Ulema-i Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ];
Muttahida Majlis-e Amal or MMA [Qazi Hussain
AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf
HUSSAIN]; National Alliance or NA [Ghulam
Mustapha JATOI] (merged with PML); National
Peoples Party or NPP; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami
Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakistan
Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan
Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN];
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir
PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N [Nawaz
SHARIF]; Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians
or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif
Ali ZARDARI, co-chairman]; Pakistan Peoples
Party-SHERPAO or PPP-S [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO];
Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];
Tehrik-i Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]
note:
political
alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently
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Political
pressure groups and leaders:
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other: military
(most important political force); ulema
(clergy); landowners; industrialists; small
merchants
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International
organization participation:
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ADB, ARF, C,
CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO,
MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA,
SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic
representation in the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador
Husain HAQQANI
chancery: 3517
International Court, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1]
(202) 243-6500
FAX: [1]
(202) 686-1544
consulate(s)
general: Boston
(Honorary Consulate General), Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, New York
consulate(s):
Chicago,
Houston
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Diplomatic
representation from the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador
Cameron MUNTER
embassy: Diplomatic
Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
mailing
address: P.
O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200
telephone: [92]
(51) 208-0000
FAX: [92]
(51) 2276427
consulate(s)
general: Karachi
consulate(s):
Lahore,
Peshawar
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Flag
description:
|
green with a
vertical white band (symbolizing the role of
religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large
white crescent and star are centered in the
green field; the crescent, star, and color green
are traditional symbols of Islam
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|
National
anthem:
|
name: "Qaumi
Tarana" (National Anthem)
lyrics/music:
Abu-Al-Asar
Hafeez JULLANDHURI/Ahmed Ghulamali CHAGLA
note:
adopted
1954; the anthem is also known as "Pak
sarzamin shad bad" (Blessed Be the Sacred
Land)
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