Pakistan · Government
Government and administration in Pakistan
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Head of state — President
- Indirectly elected by an electoral college; largely ceremonial since 2010.
- Executive — Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Responsible to the National Assembly.
- Legislative — Majlis-e-Shoora: National Assembly and Senate
- 336 and 96 members; the Senate gives equal provincial representation.
- Judiciary — Supreme Court and High Courts
- Appointments via the Judicial Commission and a parliamentary committee.
- Religious advisory — Council of Islamic Ideology
- Advises on conformity of legislation with Islam; recommendations are not binding.
How legislation is made
Money bills originate in the National Assembly only. Other bills may start in either house and must pass both; disagreement is resolved in a joint sitting. The President may return a bill once, after which a joint sitting can override. Constitutional amendments need a two-thirds majority in both houses. Provincial assemblies legislate on all matters not on the Federal Legislative List.
Enforcement institutions
- Provincial police services
- Policing is a provincial subject; each province maintains its own force.
- Federal Investigation Agency
- Federal offences, immigration, cybercrime and human trafficking.
- National Accountability Bureau
- Corruption investigation and prosecution before accountability courts.
- Federal Board of Revenue
- Income tax, sales tax and customs administration.
- Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan
- Companies, capital markets and non-bank finance.
Government bodies and regulators
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