| Administrative
divisions: |
4
provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**;
Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*,
Islamabad Capital Territory**,
North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh [176th
of 189] |
| Administrative
divisions (note): |
the
Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu
and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir and the
Northern Areas |
| Capital city: |
Islamabad |
| Civil
and political liberties: |
5.50
(2001) [41st
of 140] |
| Constitution: |
10
April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with
amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October
1999 |
| Democratic
institutions rating: |
-6.00
(1999) [120th
of 140] |
| Election results: |
|
| Executive
branch (cabinet): |
Cabinet
appointed by the chief executive |
| Executive
branch (chief of state): |
President
Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001) note - MUSHARRAF
is both chief of state and head of government |
| Executive
branch (elections): |
legislative
election last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held
NA 2007); prior to the
military takeover, Pakistan had an elected president and
prime minister; the president was
elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election
last held 31 December 1997; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party or majority coalition was usually elected
prime minister by the National Assembly |
| Executive
branch (election results): |
results
are for the 10 October 2002 election for prime minister
- Mir Zafarullah Khan JAMALI elected prime minister
(not a position of real power) |
| Executive
branch (head of government): |
Chief
Executive Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 12 May 2000) note
- MUSHARRAF is both chief of state and head of government |
| Executive
branch (note): |
following
a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of
Army Staff and Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General
Pervez MUSHARRAF, suspended Pakistan's constitution
and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive;
exercising the powers of the head of the government,
he appointed an eight-member National Security Council
to function as Pakistan's supreme governing body;
on 12 May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court
unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and
granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority
for three years from the coup date; on 20 June 2001,
MUSHARRAF named himself as president and
was sworn in, replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; in
a referendum held on 30 April 2002, MUSHARRAF's
presidency was extended by five more years |
| Executive summary: |
President: Pervez Musharraf (2001, since
1999 chief executive)
Prime-minister: Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali
(2002)
The president is self-appointed
and the government is formed by supporters of the
president. He
was confirmed as president in a
referendum in 2002. |
| 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 |
| Government
type: |
federal republic |
| Independence: |
14
August 1947 (from UK) |
| International
organization participation: |
AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
C
(suspended), CCC,
CP,
ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court
(justices appointed by the president); Federal
Islamic or Shari'a Court |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate
(100 seats - formerly 87; members indirectly elected
by provincial assemblies to serve six-year terms;
one-third of the members up for election every two
years) and the National Assembly (342 seats - formerly
217; 10 seats represent minorities; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms) |
| Legislative
branch (elections): |
Senate
- last held 12 March 1997 (next to be held by October
2002); National Assembly - last held 10 October
2002 (next to be held by October 2007) |
| Legislative
branch (election results): |
Senate
results are for the last election prior to the military
takeover; - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PML/N 30, PPP 17, ANP 7, MQM 6, JWP 5, BNP 4, JUI/F
2, PML/J 2, BNM/H 1, PKMAP 1, TJP 1, independents
6, vacant 5; National Assembly results are for the
10 October 2002 election - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party -
PPP 71, PML/Q 69, MMA 53, PML/N 14, MQM 13, MP 12,
PML/F 4, PML/J 2, PPP/SB 2, female elected members
60, independents
21, minorities 10, others 11 |
| Legislative
branch (note): |
Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF
dismissed Parliament 15 October 1999 |
| Legal system: |
based
on English common law with provisions to accommodate
Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| National holiday: |
Republic Day,
23 March (1956) |
| Parliamentary
seats {female}: |
2%
[133th
of 136] |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Awami
National Party or ANP [Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National
Movement/Hayee Group or BNM/H [Dr. HAYEE Baluch];
Baluch National Party or BNP [Sardar Akhtar MENGAL];
Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Akbar Khan BUGTI];
Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam,
Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN];
Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Niazi faction or JUP/NI
[Abdul Sattar Khan NIAZI]; Millat Party or MP [Farooq
LEGHARI]; Milli Yakjheti Council or MYC is an umbrella
organization which includes Jamaat-i-Islami or JI
[Qazi Hussain AHMED], Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami-ul-Haq
faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ], Tehrik-I-Jafria
Pakistan or TJP [Allama Sajid NAQVI], and Jamiat
Ulema-i-Pakistan, Noorani faction or JUP/NO [Shah
Ahmad NOORANI]; Mutahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction
or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Pakistan or MMA [NA leader]; National
People's Party or NPP [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI]; Pakhtun
Khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI];
Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed AFZAL Khan];
Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan
Democratic Party or PDP [Nawabadzada KHAN]; Pakistan
Muslim
League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO];
Pakistan Muslim League, Junejo
faction or PML/J [Hamid Nasir CHATTHA]; Pakistan
Muslim League, Nawaz
Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan
Muslim League, Quaid-l-Azam
faction or PML/Q [Mian AZHAR]; Pakistan National
Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO]; Pakistan People's
Party or PPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan People's
Party/Shaheed Bhutto or PPP/SB [Ghinva BHUTTO];
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN] |
| Political
parties and leaders (note): |
political
alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
military
remains most important political force; ulema (clergy),
landowners, industrialists, and small merchants
also influential |
| Status: |
pseudo-democracy |
| Suffrage: |
21
years of age; universal; separate electorates and
reserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims [3th
of 212] |
