Government and Politics of Pakistan

10 min read

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary democracy with a complex political history that has oscillated between civilian rule and military intervention. CSS aspirants must master both the constitutional framework and the underlying political realities.

Constitution of Pakistan, 1973

The supreme law of Pakistan, adopted unanimously on 10 April 1973 and enforced on 14 August 1973. It establishes Pakistan as a federal parliamentary Islamic Republic with bicameral legislature, separation of powers and fundamental rights.

Constitutional development

Year	Document / Event
1947	Independence; Government of India Act 1935 (adapted) used as interim constitution
1949	Objectives Resolution
1956	First Constitution — Islamic Republic; parliamentary
1958	Military coup by Iskander Mirza; Ayub Khan takes over
1962	Second Constitution — presidential; basic democracies
1969	Yahya Khan abrogates 1962 Constitution
1971	Fall of Dhaka; creation of Bangladesh
1973	Third Constitution — current, parliamentary, federal
1977	Zia coup; martial law
1985	8th Amendment — Article 58(2)(b); restored Constitution with amendments
1997	13th Amendment — clipped 58(2)(b)
1999	Musharraf coup
2002	LFO — 17th Amendment restoration
2010	18th Amendment — devolved subjects; restored parliamentary character
2011	19th Amendment — judicial appointments
2015	21st Amendment — military courts (sunset)
2017	25th Amendment — FATA merger with KP
2024	26th Amendment — constitutional benches

Salient features of the 1973 Constitution

Written and rigid — amendable by two-thirds of both Houses.
Federal parliamentary — four provinces + Islamabad Capital Territory; Senate + National Assembly.
Islamic provisions — Article 2 (Islam state religion), Article 2A (Objectives Resolution), Articles 31, 227-231 (CII, FSC).
Fundamental rights (Art. 8-28) — enforceable in High Courts and Supreme Court.
Principles of Policy (Art. 29-40) — non-justiciable.
Separation of powers with checks and balances.
Independent judiciary.
Bicameral legislature at federal level.

Federal executive

President

Head of state (Art. 41).
Elected by Electoral College (Senate, National Assembly, Provincial Assemblies).
Five-year term, eligible for one re-election.
Acts on the advice of the PM (Art. 48).
Limited discretionary powers (e.g., summoning Parliament, certain appointments after consultation).

Prime Minister and Cabinet

Head of government (Art. 91).
Elected by the National Assembly.
Heads the Cabinet, which is collectively responsible to the Assembly.
Tenure tied to confidence of the National Assembly.

Parliament

National Assembly (lower house)

336 seats: 266 general + 60 reserved for women + 10 for non-Muslims.
Elected for five years on First-Past-The-Post.
Money bills originate here only (Art. 73).

Senate (upper house)

96 members.
Indirectly elected by provincial assemblies and federal members from ICT.
Equal representation of provinces (14 general + 4 women + 4 technocrats per province + 4 from FATA, now reorganised + 4 from ICT).
Six-year terms with half elected every three years.
Cannot vote on money bills but can recommend.

Joint sitting

Held to resolve deadlock between the Houses on most bills (Art. 70-71).

Federal-provincial structure

Provinces

Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan.
Each has a Governor (federal appointee), Chief Minister, Cabinet and Provincial Assembly.
After 2018, FATA was merged into KP via the 25th Amendment.

Legislative competence

Earlier: Federal List, Provincial List, Concurrent List.
18th Amendment (2010) abolished the Concurrent List; subjects devolved to provinces.
Federal List Part-I and Part-II remain.
Residual powers vest in the provinces.

Inter-governmental institutions

Council of Common Interests (CCI) — Art. 153.
National Economic Council (NEC) — Art. 156.
National Finance Commission (NFC) — Art. 160 — revenue sharing.

Key Points

The 18th Amendment (2010) is the most significant constitutional reform after the original 1973 Constitution. It rolled back many Zia-era and Musharraf-era distortions and restored parliamentary primacy.
The National Finance Commission is constitutionally required to be convened every five years; the 7th NFC Award (2010) remains in force pending a new agreement.
The Council of Islamic Ideology advises Parliament on whether laws conform with Islam; its recommendations are not binding.
The Federal Shariat Court can strike down laws inconsistent with Islam, with appeal to the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court.

Judiciary

Structure

Supreme Court — apex court; Article 175. Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan. Original, appellate and advisory jurisdictions.
High Courts — one per province + Islamabad High Court (created 2010).
Federal Shariat Court.
Subordinate courts — district and sessions, magistrates, special tribunals.

Appointment of judges

19th Amendment + 26th Amendment (2024) modified the process.
Judicial Commission of Pakistan recommends.
Special Parliamentary Committee confirms.
The 26th Amendment created Constitutional Benches within the Supreme Court and High Courts and reorganised the appointments process.

Judicial review

Articles 184(3) (suo motu) and 199 are the basis.
Strong tradition of judicial activism since the lawyers' movement (2007).

Political parties

Major parties (post-2018):

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — founded by Imran Khan (1996); centrist-populist; strong in KP and urban Punjab.
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) [PML-N] — Sharif family; centre-right; strong in Punjab.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — founded by Z.A. Bhutto (1967); centre-left; strong in Sindh.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) [JUI-F] — religious; Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman; strong in KP and Balochistan.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) — urban Sindh.
Awami National Party (ANP) — Pashtun nationalist.
Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), National Party, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party — Balochistan.

Electoral framework

Elections Act, 2017 — consolidated electoral law.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — constitutional body (Art. 213-221).
Caretaker government — installed for general elections (Art. 224).
Reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims in NA; similar in provincial assemblies.

Recent general elections

2018 — PTI formed federal government.
2024 — PML-N + PPP coalition with allies; PTI-backed independents won large bloc but were denied reserved seats and party-affiliated victory.

Civil-military relations

A defining feature of Pakistan's politics. The military has directly ruled for nearly half of Pakistan's history:

Ayub Khan (1958-1969)
Yahya Khan (1969-1971)
Zia-ul-Haq (1977-1988)
Pervez Musharraf (1999-2008)

Indirect influence — sometimes characterised as the "establishment" — has shaped both civilian and military periods. Key doctrines:

Doctrine of necessity — invoked by judiciary to validate coups (now repudiated).
National Security Committee (NSC) — civilian-military forum since 2013.
Hybrid regime — frequent description of recent politics.

Local government

Constitutional duty under Article 140-A (introduced by 18th Amendment).
Provincial Local Government Acts (varying since 2013/19) governing district, tehsil, union councils.
Implementation remains uneven and often suspended.

Contemporary challenges

Civil-military balance — military's role in politics.
Federal-provincial frictions — NFC, water distribution.
Economy — IMF programmes, debt servicing, energy crisis.
Terrorism and security — resurgence of TTP, Balochistan insurgency.
Democratic backsliding — judicial controversies, media curbs.
Climate vulnerability — 2022 floods, water stress.
Demographic pressure — youth bulge, unemployment.
Identity and religion — blasphemy laws, sectarianism, minority rights.
Foreign policy — China-US balancing, India-Pakistan tensions, Afghanistan.
Local government empowerment.

For CSS essay-style questions on Pakistan, structure answers around three layers: constitutional/legal framework, institutional reality (often divergent from text), and contemporary dynamics. Citing specific articles (Art. 91, 153, 160), specific amendments (18th, 25th, 26th), and concrete events demonstrates mastery beyond textbook recital.

Reform agenda

Strengthening Parliament — committee system, legislative drafting capacity.
Empowering local governments — third tier of federalism.
Civil service reforms — recruitment, training, performance.
Judicial reforms — reducing pendency, transparent appointments.
Police and prison reforms — civilian oversight.
Tax administration — broadening the base.
Election integrity — independent ECP, transparent counting.

A CSS officer who has internalised these texts and dynamics will be well-placed to engage with policy debates and analyse the inevitable constitutional questions that arise across the federation.