GOVERNMENT
Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto, was elected president and head of state on September 6, 2008, replacing former President General Pervez Musharraf, who resigned on August 18 of the same year. Civilian democratic rule was restored in the country after parliamentary elections in February 2008. The election brought to power former opposition parties, led by the PPP, in a coalition government; Yousuf Gilani was elected prime minister and head of government on March 24, 2008. Of the 13 Supreme Court justices whom Musharraf dismissed in November 2007, by the end of 2008, the new government reinstated five under a fresh oath of office; three retired or resigned; and five remained off the bench. The newly elected government removed media restrictions adopted during the 2007 state of emergency, and lifted curbs on unions imposed during Musharraf’s tenure.
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) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for minorities). 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.
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 (head of state)--Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister (head of government)--Yousef Raza Gilani
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Ambassador to the U.S.--Husain Haqqani
Ambassador to the UN--Abdullah Hussain Haroon
Pakistan
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 2315 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington,
DC 20008 (Tel. 202-939-6200).
Type:
Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: August 14, 1947.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state),
prime minister (head of government). Legislative--Bicameral Parliament
or Majlis-e-Shoora (100-seat Senate, 342-seat National Assembly).
Judicial--Supreme Court, provincial high courts, Federal Islamic
(or Shari'a) Court.
Political parties: Pakistan Muslim League (PML),
Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal (umbrella
group), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Political subdivisions: 4 provinces; also the
Northern Areas and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
