Politics of Pakistan

The Politics of Pakistan (سیاسیاتِ پاکستان ; ALA-LC: Siyāsiyāt-e-Pākistān) 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 Prime Minister of Pakistan (Shehbaz Sharif since 3 March 2024), who works with the bicameral parliament and the judiciary. 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. Asif Ali Zardari is currently the president of Pakistan (since 2024). The president was a significant authority until the 18th amendment, passed in 2010, stripped the presidency of most of its powers. Since then, Pakistan has shifted from a Semi-presidential system to a purely parliamentary government. Since the amendment, the president's powers include the right to pardon and the ability to suspend or moderate any sentence passed by any court or authority.

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 developed between the People's Party and Muslim League. There has also been a sharp rise in the popularity of centrist parties such as PML-Q and PTI. The Armed Forces has historically played an influential role in the country's politics, although it has declined in recent years. From the 1950s to 2000s, several coups were staged that overthrew democratic regimes. After the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf in 2008, a sharp line has been drawn between the "military establishment" and politics and Pakistan is moving closer to becoming a democracy after general elections in 2013. Imran Khan ascended to leadership in 2018 with the backing of the military, but was subsequently removed from power in 2022 after losing that support. However, he won re-election in 2024. No Prime Minister of Pakistan has ever completed their full length tenure.

The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Pakistan an "authoritarian regime" in 2023. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Pakistan was autocratizing in 2024. In 2023, according to Freedom in the World, report by Freedom House, Pakistan is categorised as a "partly free" country, and it is categorised as "not free" in terms of internet freedom.

The current and former Presidents of Pakistan, in keeping with the constitutional provision that the state religion is Islam, must be 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.

In the past one of these powers —a legacy of military dictator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq— has included the president's discretionary ability to dissolve the National Assembly when "a situation 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 (under the Zia dictatorship) and by the Seventeenth Amendment in 2003 (under the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf) —and has twice been revoked— by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1997 (by the Pakistan Muslim League (N)) and under the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010 (by the Pakistan Peoples Party). 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 consists of ministers, ministers of state, and advisers. As of early 1994, there were 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.