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
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
name:
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 two 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 2012 (2012)
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
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; note - there are joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
:
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:
president elected by secret ballot through an Electoral College comprising the members of the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies for a five-year term; 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 432 votes, Wajihuddin AHMED 77 votes
Legislative branch:
bicameral parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (104 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives in the National Assembly to serve six-year terms; one half are elected every three years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members elected by popular vote; 60 seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; members serve five-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last held on 2 March 2012 (next to be held in March 2015); National Assembly - last held on 11 May 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPPP 41, PML-N 14, ANP 12, JUI-F 7, MQM 7, PML-Q 5, BNP-A 4, NPP 1, PML-F 1, independents 12; National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party as of June 2013) - PML-N 126, PPPP 31, PTI 28, MQM 18, JUI-F 10, PML-F 5, other 22, independents 25, unfilled seats 7; 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims
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 Majlis-e-Shoora (parliamentary) Committee upon the recommendation of the Judicial Commission (a 9-member body of several 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 [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]
Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A
Balochistan National Party-Hayee Group or BNP-H [Dr. Hayee BALOCH]
Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M
Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Syed Munawar HASAN]
Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP
Jamiat Ahle Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]
Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Fazl-ur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazl-ur REHMAN]
Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Sami-ul HAQ or JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ]
Jamiat-i Ulema-i Pakistan or JUP [Abul Khair ZUBAIR]
Millat-e-Jafferia [Allama Sajid NAQVI]
Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]
National Peoples Party or NPP
Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]
Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i Azam or PML-Q [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO]
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]
Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali ZARDARI, co-chairman]
Pakistan Peoples Party-S [Aftab Ahmad SHERPAO]
Quami Watan Party or QWP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]
Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]
note:
political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other:
military (most important political force); 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), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMIT, 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, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 243-6500
FAX:
[1] (202) 686-1534
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (CA)
consulate(s):
Chicago, Houston
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard OLSON (since 24 September 2012)
embassy:
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
mailing address:
8100 Islamabad Pl., Washington, DC 20521-8100
telephone:
[92] (51) 208-0000
FAX:
[92] (51) 227-6427
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
National anthem:
name:
"Qaumi Tarana" (National Anthem)
lyrics/music: Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez JULLANDHURI/Ahmed Ghulamali CHAGLA
note: adopted 1954; the anthem is also known as "Pak sarzamin shad bad" (Blessed Be the Sacred Land)