Politics of Pakistan

Lore & Background

The government consists of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is led by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, independent of the bicameral parliament, which comprises the Senate (upper house) and National Assembly (lower house). The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court as the apex court, along with high courts and inferior courts, tasked with interpreting the Constitution and federal laws. The president, who must be Muslim, retains residual powers such as the right to pardon and the ability to suspend or moderate sentences, and serves as ex officio chair of the National Security Council.

Reader's Guide

Pakistan operates as a multiparty democracy within a federal parliamentary republic framework established by its constitution. Provincial governments enjoy significant autonomy and residuary powers. Executive authority rests with the national cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, who works alongside a bicameral parliament and an independent judiciary. The constitution provides a system of checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The head of state is the president, elected for a five-year term by an electoral college. However, the 18th Amendment in 2010 stripped the presidency of most powers, shifting the system from semi-presidential to purely parliamentary; the president now retains only the right to pardon and to suspend or moderate sentences. The bicameral legislature comprises the Senate as the upper house and the National Assembly as the lower house. The judiciary, with the Supreme Court as the apex court, interprets the constitution and federal laws. Historically, a two-party system developed between the People’s Party and the Muslim League after the Fall of Dhaka in 1971, though centrist parties like PML-Q, PTI, and AP have since risen. The armed forces exerted strong influence from the 1950s to the 2000s through multiple coups, but this role declined after President Pervez Musharraf’s 2008 resignation. In 2018, Imran Khan came to power with military backing but was removed in 2022 after losing that support. In the February 2024 general election, independent candidates backed by Khan’s PTI won the most National Assembly seats, yet Khan remained imprisoned, and a PML-N–PPP coalition formed the government. No Prime Minister has ever completed a full term. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices, Pakistan was autocratising in 2024, and Freedom House categorised it as “partly free” in 2023, with internet freedom rated “not free.”

Did You Know?

• The Senate is a permanent legislative body that cannot be dissolved by the president, with equal representation from each of the four provinces.
• About 5 per cent of National Assembly seats are reserved for minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs.
• The prime minister is appointed by members of the National Assembly through a vote and assisted by a Federal Cabinet whose members are appointed by the president on the prime minister's advice.