Pakistan political system

The Political System of The Political System of

Political and Religious positionsPolitical and Religious positions

PakistanPakistan

Brief History of Pakistan

• Pakistan was first established as an independent nation on August 14 in 1947.

• Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, emphasised the importance of Islam.

Religious composition of Pakistan

• 97% Muslim – 77% Sunni-Muslim – 20% Shi-a-Muslim

• Remaining 3% Christian, Hindu, Sikh or other beliefs.

Government of Pakistan

Government of Pakistan

Senate

The Senate is a permanent legislative body with equal representation from each of the four provinces, elected by the members of their respective provincial assemblies. There are representatives from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and from Islamabad Capital Territory. National AssemblyMembers of the National Assembly are elected by universal adult suffrage (formerly twenty-one years of age and older but the seventeenth amendment changed it to eighteen years of age.). Seats are allocated to each of the four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Islamabad Capital Territory on the basis of population. The vast majority of the members are Muslim, about 5 percent of the seats are reserved for minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs.

Presidential Power

• President acts on advice of Prime Minister

• May adopt absolute power to dissolve National Assembly, according to the 8th Amendment of the constitution.

Judicial branchThe judiciary includes the Supreme Court, provincial high courts, District & sessions Courts, Civil and Magistrate courts exercising civil and criminal jurisdiction.[1] Some federal and provincial courts and tribunals such as Services court, Income tax & excise court, Banking court and Boards of Revenue's Tribunals are as well established in all provinces.Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court has original, appellate, and advisory jurisdiction. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is appointed by the president; the other Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president after consultation with the chief justice. The chief justice and judges of the Supreme Court may remain in office until age sixty-five: now 68 years and this is also another clause of seventeenth amendment.

Federal Shariat Court of PakistanThe Federal Shariat Court (FSC) of Pakistan is a court which has the power to examine and determine whether the laws of the country comply with Shari'a law. It consists of 8 Muslim judges appointed by the President of Pakistan after consulting the Chief Justice of this Court.

Provincial and High CourtsIn every province,there is one High Court.Currently all four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have High courts

Provincial Governments

Pakistan is subdivided into 4 provinces, 2 territories, and 1 capital territory. Each province has a Provincial Assembly, a directly elected legislature. Members are elected for five-year terms. Each Assembly elects a Chief Minister, who then selects the ministers of his or her cabinet.Local Governments

Pakistan's provinces are divided into districts called zillas in local languages. A zilla is further subdivided into tehsils. Tehsils may contain town or municipalities.

Kashmir• Kashmir in Pakistani politics• Azad Kashmir has its own constitution, the Azad Jammu

and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act of 1974, and a locally chosen parliamentary form of government, as described above . The constitution allows for many of the structures that comprise a self-governing state, including a legislative assembly elected through periodic elections, a prime minister who commands the majority in the assembly, an indirectly elected president, an independent judiciary, and local government institutions.

Defence

• President Musharraf (2008) says Pakistan is a peaceful country, but a strong national defence is important in maintaining peace.

• Musharraf (2008) maintains an adequate defence force in Pakistan is necessary to defend the country and to support its economic development.

Pakistan’s foreign policyPakistan’s foreign policy as proclaimed by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to the people of the USA in February 1948:

“Our foreign policy is one of friendliness and goodwill towards the nations of the world. We do not cherish aggressive designs against any country or nation. We believe in the principle of honesty and fair play in national and international dealings and are prepared to make our utmost contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nations of the world. Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and suppressed peoples of the world, and in upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter.”

(Muhammad Ali Jinnah 1948, in Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2008a)

Military in Government

• The Military long standing force in Pakistani politics

• The President General Pervez Musharraf was never elected, came to power after a military take-over of government in 1999

• Resigned as Army Chief of Staff in November 2007

Islam in Government

• Increased involvement of Islam in the Pakistani Government since 1984 Referendum• Enforcement of Sharia or Islamic Law

since 1985• Assessment by the Shariat/Islamic Court

regarding federal laws

Five Principals of Friendly Co-existence

• Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all nations;

• The right of every state to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;

• Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;

• Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means; and the

• Renunciation of the threat or use of force;

(<http://www.aseansec.org>)

Member organisations– United Nations;

–Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC);

– South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC); and the

– Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO);

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2007, p.1)

2007 Foreign Affairs • In spite of turmoil and insecurity in Pakistan

2002-7 • State remained focused on: • Promotion of regional and international peace

and security • Economic and social development of the country• Welfare of its people.

• Maintained and improved relations with neighbors and major world powers

(Kasuri 2007, p.3)

Negotiations & Actions 2006-7• Joined the international coalition against terrorism• Initiated dialogue with India regarding Kashmir dispute• Supported initiatives and contributed to

reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan• Deployed forces to counter extremism on the border

between Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal areas• Deepened relations with the US• dismantled the AQ Khan network in Pakistan• Maintained and developed ongoing relations with

China, Iran, Russia and Japan• Maintained close relations with their ‘brotherly Islamic

countries including Turkey and special relations with Gulf countries in particular with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE)’ (Kasuri 2007, p.3-4).

Religion in Pakistan politics

(www.utdallas.edu) (www.infopak.gov.pk)

Islam in constitutionThe Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, Preamble states:

•Whereas sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone, and the authority to be exercised by the people of Pakistan within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust…•Wherein the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice, as enunciated by Islam, shall be fully observed…•Wherein the Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and Sunnah.

(<www.pakistanconstitution-law.com>)

Constitution Articles pertaining to Islam

• Article 31: relates to supporting the Muslims of Pakistan in the Islamic way of life. – the provision of facilities; and– the compulsory teaching of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, as a

means of promoting unity and the observance of Islamic moral standards.

• Article 40: relates to the strengthening of bonds with other

Muslim countries based on Islamic unity and the promotion of international peace and security.

• Article 41: states the minimum requirements of an elected

president, which include that he must be a Muslim.

Constitution Articles pertaining to Islam

• Article 227: provides that all existing laws are brought into ‘conformity with the Injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah’.

• Article 228: provides for the establishment of a council of

Islamic ideology( the Islamic Council) and the responsibilities of the president in relation to the establishment of the members of the Islamic Council.

• Article 229, refers to the provision that members of

parliament may seek advice from the Islamic Council on matters regarding proposed law and whether they are compatible to the Injunctions of Islam.

• Article 230, provides for matters referring to the functions of

the Islamic Court. (<www.pakistanconstitution-law.com>)

Role of Islam in Pakistan• Islam established as state ideology to distinguish

Pakistan’s identity as separate from Hindu India.

• Islam used as the basis for the creation and unification of a separate state, not expected to serve as a model for government (Blood 1994).

• Islam remains an important element of national identification and is a central issue in Pakistan’s politics.

(Haqqani 2004, pp.87-9)

Controversy over Islam’s roleArguments :

•Islamic ideology is essential to bind its culturally diverse people together.

•Insistence on Islamic ideology, in opposition to regional demands, has alienated regional groups and eroded national unity (Pakistan 2008).

Islam in Pakistan• Islam deeply rooted in Pakistan’s history • Links to Pakistani military and the Pakistani

elite’s world view (Haqqani 2004, p.85).• Military rule fomented religious military

presence in Pakistan.• Islamists gained disproportionate influence

over the country’s overall direction. • Islam used as the means of achieving a

common bond and unity (Haqqani 2004, pp.91-96).

Conclusion

While Islamic ideology remains important in Pakistan, the implications exacerbated by military rule and fundamentalism complicate Pakistan’s political situation and reduce its ability to be identified as a functional modern state.

References• Association of South East Asian Nations 2006, Overview, viewed 10 May 2008,

<http://www.aseansec.org>.• Bielawska, A 2008, State Church Relations, unpublished.• Blood, P 1994, ed. Pakistan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, viewed

5 May 2008, <http://countrystudies.us/pakistan/>.• Haqqani, H 2004, The Role of Islam in Pakistan’s Future, The Washington Quarterly • 28:1 pp. 85–

96, viewed 4 May 2008 <http://www.twq.com>.• Infopak.gov.pk n.d., Information of Pakistan, Basic facts, viewed 4 May 2008,

<http://www.pak.gov>.• Kasuri, KM 2007, in Foreign Office Year Book 2006-7, Message from the Minister of Foreign Affairs,

viewed 10 May 2008, <http://www.mofa.gov.pk>.• Pakistan 2008, In Encyclopædia Britannica, viewed 6 May 2008 <http://www.britannica.com>.• Pakistani Student Association 2008, National Emblem, viewed 10 May 2008, <

http://www.utdallas.edu>.• Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2007, Foreign Office year Book 2006-7, viewed 10 May 2008,

<http://www.mofa.gov.pk >.• Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2008b, Pakistan Foreign Relations 2003- • 4, Year Book, viewed 10 May 2008, <www.mofa.gov.pk >.• Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2008a, Pakistan: Brief Introduction, viewed 4 May 2008,

<http://www.mofa.gov.pk >.• The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, viewed 4 May 2008,

<http://www.pakistanconstitution-law.com>.• Witte, G 2007, Bhutto Assassination Sparks Chaos, Washington Post Foreign Service, 28 December;

Page A01, viewed 6 May 2008, <http://www.washingtonpost.com> .