Pakistan: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan local short form: Pakistan former: West Pakistan etymology: the word "pak" means "pure" in Persian or Pashto, while the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Pakistan literally means "Land of the pure" |
|---|---|
| Government type | federal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Islamabad
Islamabad
geographic coordinates: 33 41 N, 73 03 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province), Punjab, Sindh note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of 2 administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan |
| Independence | 14 August 1947 (from British India) |
| National holiday | Pakistan Day (also referred to as Pakistan Resolution Day or Republic Day), 23 March (1940); note - commemorates both the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the All-India Muslim League during its 22-24 March 1940 session, which called for the creation of independent Muslim states, and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 during the transition to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Constitution | several previous; latest endorsed 12 April 1973, passed 19 April 1973, entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times); amended many times, last in 2015 (2016) |
| Legal system | common law system with Islamic law influence |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Pakistan dual citizenship recognized: yes, but limited to select countries residency requirement for naturalization: 4 out of the previous 7 years and including the 12 months preceding application |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; note - there are joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Mamnoon HUSSAIN (since 9 September 2013) head of government: Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF (since 5 June 2013) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Electoral College consisting of members of the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies for a 5-year term (eligible for reelection); election last held on 9 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018); prime minister selected by the National Assembly election results: Mamnoon HUSSAIN elected president; Mamnoon HUSSAIN (PML-N) 432 votes, Wajihuddin AHMED (PTI) 77 votes |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (104 seats; members indirectly elected by the 4 provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 70 members - 60 women and 10 non-Muslims - directly elected by proportional representation vote; all members serve 5-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 5 March 2015 (next to be held in March 2018); National Assembly - last held on 11 May 2013 (next to be held by 2018) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPPP 27, PML-N 26, MQM 8, ANP 6, PTI 7, JUI-F 5, PML-Q 4, BNP-A 2, NP 1, PML-F 1, other 7, independent 10; National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML-N 126, PPPP 31, PTI 28, MQM 18, JUI-F 10, PML-F 5, other 22, independent 25, unfilled seats 7; 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; seats by party as of July 2016 (includes women and non-Muslim seats) - PML-N 188, PPPP 46, PTI 33, MQM 24, JUI-F 13, PML-F 5, other 21, independent 12 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of Pakistan (consists of the chief justice and 16 judges) judge selection and term of office: justices nominated by an 8-member parliamentary committee upon the recommendation of the Judicial Commission (a 9-member body of judges and other judicial professionals), and appointed by the president of Pakistan; justices can serve until age 65 subordinate courts: High Courts; Federal Shariat Court; provincial and district civil and criminal courts; specialized courts for issues such as taxation, banking, customs, etc. |
| Political parties and leaders | Awami National Party or ANP (Mian Iftikhar HUSSAIN) Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A (Mir Israr Ullah ZEHRI) Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M (Sardar Akhtar Jan MENGAL) Jamaat-i Islami or JI (Sirajul HAQ) Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Fazl-ur Rehman or JUI-F (Fazlur REHMAN) Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM (Farooq SATTAR) Pakhtun khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP (Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI) Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F (Pir PAGARO or Syed Shah Mardan SHAH-II) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N (Nawaz SHARIF) Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians or PPPP (Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI and Asif Ali ZARDARI) Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI (Imran KHAN) Pak Sarzameen Party or PSP (Mustafa KAMAL) Quami Watan Party or QWP (Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO) note: political alliances in Pakistan shift frequently |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | other: military; ulema (clergy); landowners; industrialists; small merchants |
| International organization participation | ADB, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), C, CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-11, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Jalil Abbas JILANI (since 10 March 2014) chancery: 3517 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 243-6500 FAX: (1) (202) 686-1534 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York consulate(s): Louisville (KY), San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador David M. HALE (since 3 December 2015) embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: 8100 Islamabad Place, Washington, DC 20521-8100 telephone: (92) (51) 208-0000/(92) (51) 201-4000 FAX: (92) (51) 233-8071 consulate(s) general: Karachi consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar |
| 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 |
| National symbol(s) | star and crescent, jasmine; national colors: green, white |
| National anthem | name: "Qaumi Tarana" (National Anthem) lyrics/music: Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez JULLANDHURI/Ahmed Ghulamali CHAGLA note: adopted 1954; also known as "Pak sarzamin shad bad" (Blessed Be the Sacred Land) |