DOWNLOAD PDF THE POLITICS OF PAKISTAN

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1 Chapter 1 : Pakistan : Constitution and politics The Commonwealth The politics of Pakistan takes place within the framework established by the constitution. The country is a federal parliamentary republic in which provincial governments enjoy a high degree of autonomy and residuary powers. Executive branch[ edit ] The president of Pakistan, in keeping with the constitutional provision that the state religion is Islam, must be a Muslim. Elected for a five-year term by an Electoral College consisting of members of the Senate and National Assembly and members of the provincial assemblies, the president is eligible for re-election. But no individual may hold the office for more than two consecutive terms. The president may resign or be impeached and may be removed from office due to incapacity or gross misconduct by a two-thirds vote of the members of the parliament. The president generally acts on the advice of the prime minister but has important residual powers. Despite this most recent power-stripping, the President remains the ex officio chair of the National Security Council, as per the National Security Act The prime minister is appointed by the members of the National Assembly through a vote. The prime minister is assisted by the Federal Cabinet, a council of ministers whose members are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. The Federal Cabinet comprises the ministers, ministers of state, and advisers. As of early, there were thirty-three ministerial portfolios: Legislative branch[ edit ] The bicameral federal legislature consists of the Senate upper house and National Assembly lower house. Senate[ edit ] 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. The chairman of the Senate, under the constitution, is next in line to act as president should the office become vacant and until such time as a new president can be formally elected. Both the Senate and the National Assembly can initiate and pass legislation except for finance bills. Only the National Assembly can approve the federal budget and all finance bills. In the case of other bills, the president may prevent passage unless the legislature in joint sitting overrules the president by a majority of members of both houses present and voting. Unlike the National Assembly, the Senate cannot be dissolved by the President. National Assembly[ edit ] National Assembly of Pakistan Members 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. National Assembly members serve for the parliamentary term, which is five years, unless they die or resign sooner, or unless the National Assembly is dissolved. Although the vast majority of the members are Muslim, about 5 percent of the seats are reserved for minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. Elections for minority seats are held on the basis of separate electorates at the same time as the polls for Muslim seats during the general elections. Member 3 Now withstanding anything contained in clause 1 or clause 2, the President shall appoint the most senior Judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The chief justice and judges of the Supreme Court may remain in office until age sixty-five: It consists of 8 Muslim judges appointed by the President of Pakistan after consulting the Chief Justice of this Court, from amongst the serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court or a High Court or from amongst persons possessing the qualifications of judges of a High Court. Of the 8 judges, 3 are required to be Ulema who are well versed in Islamic law. The judges hold office for a period of 3 years, which may eventually be extended by the President. If any part of the law is declared to be against Islamic law, the government is required to take necessary steps to amend such law appropriately. The court also exercises revisional jurisdiction over the criminal courts, deciding Hudood cases. The decisions of the court are binding on the High Courts as well as subordinate judiciary. The court appoints its own staff and frames its own rules of procedure. Ever since its establishment in, the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan has been the subject of criticism and controversy in the society. Created as an islamisation measure by the military regime and subsequently protected under the controversial 8th Amendment, its opponents question the very rationale and utility of this institution. It is stated that this court merely duplicates the functions of the existing superior courts and also operates as a check on the sovereignty of Parliament. The composition of the court, particularly the mode of appointment of its judges and the insecurity of their tenure, Page 1

2 is taken exception to, and it is alleged, that this court does not fully meet the criterion prescribed for the independence of the judiciary. That is to say, it is not immune to pressures and influences from the Executive. In the past, this court was used as a refuge for the recalcitrant judges. In 18th Amendment, judges appointments are proposed by a Parliamentary Commission. Judges of the provincial high courts were, previously appointed The seventeenth amendment give these powers to the president, previously Prime minister exercised them by the president after consultation with the chief justice of the Supreme Court, as well as the governor of the province and the chief justice of the high court to which the appointment is being made. High courts have original and appellate jurisdiction. In addition, there are special courts and tribunals to deal with specific kinds of cases, such as drug courts, commercial courts, labour courts, traffic courts, an insurance appellate tribunal, an income tax appellate tribunal, and special courts for bank offences. There are also special courts to try terrorists. Appeals from special courts go to high courts except for labour and traffic courts, which have their own forums for appeal. Appeals from the tribunals go to the Supreme Court. The office of Mohtasib was established in many early Muslim states to ensure that no wrongs were done to citizens. Appointed by the president, the Mohtasib holds office for four years; the term cannot be extended or renewed. The Mohtasib is empowered to award compensation to those who have suffered loss or damage as a result of maladministration. Excluded from jurisdiction, however, are personal grievances or service matters of a public servant as well as matters relating to foreign affairs, national defence, and the armed services. This institution is designed to bridge the gap between administrator and citizen, to improve administrative processes and procedures, and to help curb misuse of discretionary powers. Civilian, yet socialist-oriented autocratic, rule continued from to under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but he was deposed by General Zia-Ul-Haq. She was the youngest woman ever to be elected the Head of Government and the first woman to be elected as the Head of Government of a Muslim country. Her government was followed by that of Nawaz Sharif, and the two leaders alternated until the military coup by General Pervez Musharraf in From the resignation of President Rafiq Tarar in, to his own resignation in, Musharraf was the President of Pakistan. In, Asif Ali Zardari was elected president. Form of Government[ edit ] Officially a federal republic, Pakistan has had a long history of alternating periods of electoral democracy and authoritarian military government. General elections were held in October After monitoring the elections, the Commonwealth Observer Group stated in conclusion: We believe that on election day this was a credible election: However, in the context of various measures taken by the government we are not persuaded of the overall fairness of the process as a whole. Kashmir in Pakistani politics[ edit ] Azad Kashmir has its own constitution, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act of, 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. But these provisions are hollow. The latter body, presided over by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, exercises paramount authority over the AJK Legislative Assembly, which cannot challenge decisions of the council. The council is under the numerical control of the federal government in Islamabad, as in addition to the Pakistani prime minister it comprises six other federal ministers, the minister of Kashmir affairs as the ex-officio member, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir, and six Azad Kashmir members elected by the Legislative Assembly. Its decisions are final and not subject to judicial review. Provincial Governments[ edit ] The subdivisions of Pakistan 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. Page 2

3 Chapter 2 : Pakistan - Government and society blog.quintoapp.com The present study is a pioneering work, examining the general patterns of the opposition in the politics of Pakistan. The focus of the study is the role of opposition political parties as the most organized and institutionalized agents of political opposition in any society. Perspectives The dynamics of elite politics in Pakistan Now after the elections, there is hope that the masses will benefit. However, PTI also consists of illustrious names. The masses need to become a part of the power structure to bring about real change 60 Abid Ali September 4, After every election in Pakistan people celebrate it as the victory of the common people. We saw it in the election, when people got rid of the dictator and voted in favour of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Similarly in, people got rid of the political elite and welcomed Ziaul Haq, and in, again people decided to elect Benazir Bhutto as the choice of the poor. In, people celebrated the victory of PTI as the victory of the common man. Have they ever been a part of the political structure? The answer is no. The politics of Pakistan are dominated by 6 major elites from, till now and these elites are not equal in power but they have made alliances amongst themselves and are present in every government. Pakistan inherited all these elites from Colonial India, and they were all created by the British to control the locals. For example, the British Indian Army was made up of Indians but was used against the masses. Similarly, Bureaucracy was known as the Steel Frame of British power in India, because they had influence over the locals but were loyal to the British. A few days ago, an influential journalist was commenting on the reckless elite of Pakistan, while being a member of their ranks. The first is the governing elite at the centre of the government which is the Prime Minister, Cabinet, etc. The second compromises of the 6 elites we discussed above. The third, is made up of the middle-class which consists of doctors, professors etc. And in the last are the masses. Masses are far away from the centre of the power which is why they are at the end. This can be easily proved by analysing the composition of the big political parties. Thus, when these parties come into power, these elites, are given ministries and they end up occupying the position of the governing elite. In front of the world, they pretend to bow down to the party manifesto, but after coming into power they just end up working towards their own goals. Now after the election, there is hope that the masses will benefit. The masses need to become a part of the power structure to bring about real change, otherwise power is just transferred from one party to another, without benefiting the lower strata. Despite this, we continue to hope that Imran Khan will fulfill his promises, but the past paints a bleak picture. Page 3

4 Chapter 3 : Politics of Pakistan - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fatima Bhutto is a Pakistani journalist, poet and novelist. Her father, Murtaza Bhutto, son of Pakistan's former president and prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and an elected member of parliament, was killed by the police in in Karachi during the premiership of his sister, Benazir Bhutto. Bring fact-checked results to the top of your browser search. Government and society In the newly independent Pakistan consisted of two distinct parts: However, in, after the country had experienced more than two decades of turbulent politics, the eastern region seceded and established itself as the independent state of Bangladesh. In the aftermath of that event, Pakistan now reduced to the former West Pakistan faced a number of political and economic problems and uncertainties about its future. Several seemingly irreconcilable domestic conflicts have left their mark on the politics of Pakistan. The first of these occurred at the highest levels of leadership, involving the key political actors from the political parties, the higher bureaucracy, and the upper echelon of the armed forces notably the Pakistani army. Constitutions in Pakistan have been less about limiting the power of authority and more a legal justification for arbitrary action. The viceregalism of the colonial past has haunted Pakistan from its inception, and struggles for power are therefore more personal than constitutional. The result has been several military administrations â 69, â 71, â 88, and â, which ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its history. A second conflict has taken place between regional groups. The regions that originally made up Pakistan had to be fitted into a design not of their own choosing. Even after that event, Pakistan has had difficulty reconciling rival claims. Punjab, being the largest and most significant province, has always been perceived as imposing its will on the others, and even attempts at establishing quotas for governmental and nongovernmental opportunities and resources have not satisfied the discontented. The demands for an independent Sindhu Desh for the Sindhis and a Pakhtunistan for the Pathans, and the violently rebellious circumstances in Balochistan in the s and since, illustrate the nature and depth of the problem of national integration. Because these various struggles have been directed against centralized authority, they have merged with the democratic struggle. But their express aims have been to secure greater regional representation in the bureaucratic and military establishment, especially in the higher echelons, and to achieve effective decentralization of powers within the federal system by emphasizing regional autonomy. A third conflict sprang from the struggle over economic resources and development funds among the more-deprived regions and strata of the population. This resulted in a number of violent confrontations between the less-privileged segments of society and the state. Some of these confrontations, such as those in and, led to the fall of constitutional government and the imposition of martial law. One manifestation of this conflict was the struggle that broke out between Punjab provincial leaders and federal authorities in the late s. Under the Islamic Democratic Alliance, the Punjab government continued to back the interests of the landed aristocracy, while the national governmentâ headed by Benazir Bhutto, with a more liberal bent and a wider base of supportâ espoused the economic and social interests of urban groups and non-propertied classes. The two governments often clashed in the late s, creating serious economic management problems. Issues regarding power sharing between the federal and provincial governments were largely ignored during the period of military rule in â However, in the 21st century the success of any government in Pakistanâ civilian or militaryâ appeared to rest on the handling of what might be considered a fifth area of major conflict. Since the country has been confronted by a campaign of ceaseless terror, generally but not exclusively cast in religious terms, that has been mounted by religious forces opposed to secular modernism in all its forms. Government has always been mindful of the need to placate the religiously motivated populace, but finding a balance between those envisioning Pakistan as a theocratic state and those determined to pursue a liberal, progressive agenda has proved to be the most significant test. A climate of virtually irreconcilable forces has emerged, much of it manifested by external militant Islamic elements led by the al-qaeda organization and a revived Afghan Taliban. Constitutional framework The task of framing a constitution was entrusted in to a Constituent Assembly that was also to function as the interim legislature under the Government of India Act, which was to be the interim constitution. It followed the form of the act, Page 4

5 allowing the president far-reaching powers to suspend federal and provincial parliamentary government emphasizing the viceregal tradition of British India. A major factor in the political crisis of â 71 was abandonment of the parity formula and adoption of representation by population, giving East Pakistan an absolute majority in the National Assembly. In the constitution was abrogated, and martial law was instituted. A new constitution, promulgated in, provided for the election of the president and national and provincial assemblies by something similar to an electoral college, composed of members of local councils. Although a federal form of government was retained, the assemblies had little power, which was, in effect, centralized through the authority of governors acting under the president. In March a Provisional Constitutional Order was promulgated, providing a framework for government under martial law. Four years later a process was initiated for reinstating the constitution of By October a newly elected National Assembly had amended the constitution, giving extraordinary powers to the president, including the authority to appoint any member of the National Assembly as prime minister. With the end of military rule in and following elections to the National Assembly held in November of that year, the new president used those powers to appoint a prime minister to form a civilian government under the amended constitution. In the prime minister pushed through two significant changes to the constitution. In a military government again came to power, and the constitution was suspended. The chief executive of that government initially ruled by decree and was made president in In the constitution was reinstated following a national referendum, though it included provisions under the name Legal Framework order [LFO] that restored presidential powers removed in ; most provisions of the LFO were formally incorporated into the constitution in The amended constitution provides for a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government; both must be Muslims. According to the constitution, the president is elected for a term of five years by the National Assembly, the Senate, and the four provincial assemblies. The prime minister is elected by the National Assembly. The president acts on the advice of the prime minister. Universal adult suffrage is practiced. The National Assembly has members, each of whom serves a five-year term. Of these, seats are filled by direct popular election; are for Muslim candidates, and 10 are for non-muslims. Of the remaining seats, 60 are reserved for women, who are chosen by the major parties; in the assembly elected its first female speaker. The Senate has members, each serving a six-year term. A portion of the senators are chosen by the provincial assemblies; others are appointed. One-third of the senators relinquish their seats every two years. These units are run by a hierarchy of administrators, such as the divisional commissioner, the deputy commissioner at the district level, and the subdivisional magistrate, subdivisional officer, or tehsildar tahsildar at the tehsil level. The key level is that of the district, where the deputy commissioner, although in charge of all branches of government, shares power with the elected chairman of the district council. During the period of British rule, the deputy commissioner was both the symbol and embodiment of the central government in remote locations. Those multiple roles have varied little since independence, but increasing emphasis has been placed on self-help programs for the rural populace. In addition to the provinces, Pakistan has the Federally Administered Tribal Areas seven agencies along the Afghan border, adjacent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which ostensibly are overseen by agents responsible to the federal government; the Islamabad Capital Territory; and a number of tribal areas that are administered by the provincial governments. The areas of Kashmir under Pakistani control are administered directly by the central government. Justice Under the constitution there is a formal division between the judiciary and the executive branches of government. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, the provincial high courts, and under their jurisdiction and supervision district courts that hear civil cases and sessions courts that hear criminal cases. There is also a magistracy that deals with cases brought by the police. The district magistrate who, as deputy commissioner, also controls the police hears appeals from magistrates under him; appeals may go from him to the sessions judge. The Supreme Court is a court of record. It has original, appellate, and advisory jurisdictions and is the highest court in the land. At the time of independence, Pakistan inherited legal codes and acts that have remained in force, subject to amendment. The independence of the judiciary has been tested at times, most notably in, when Pres. Pervez Musharraf replaced the chief justice and several other Supreme Court justices who challenged his constitutional legitimacy. The judicial system also has a religious dimension; a reorientation to Islamic tenets and values was designed to make legal redress inexpensive and Page 5

6 accessible to all persons. Political process The role of Islam in the political and cultural unification of Pakistan has been controversial. Opposing factions have argued that the insistence on Islamic ideology, in opposition to regional demands expressed in secular and cultural idiom, has alienated regional groups and eroded national unity. Following the disruption of the ensuing war, which produced the independent country of Bangladesh from East Pakistan, Bhutto was called to form a government in In, after the nine-year period of military rule, the party joined in a civilian coalition government. The Muslim League, formed in in what is now Bangladesh, had spearheaded the Pakistan independence movement under Mohammed Ali Jinnah. However, by the time of the military coup in it had endured many setbacks and much fragmentation, and in it splintered into two parts, the Conventionist Pakistan Muslim League and the Council Muslim League. Since then, Muslim League factions have been associated with powerful personalities e. The military consists of an army the largest of the uniformed services, air force, and navy, as well as various paramilitary forces. Each of the services is headed by a chief of staff, and the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff is the senior officer of the military hierarchy. The Pakistani military is one of the largest and best-trained in the world. Troops serve on a voluntary basis, and there is seldom a shortage of manpower. Military life in Pakistan is viewed as prestigious, and soldiers both active and retired can expect numerous perks and benefits from service. The army is extremely well supplied, having devoted much of its considerable resources to the domestic production of weapons. The army has several thousand main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and artillery pieces both towed and self-propelled. The army also fields multiple-launch rocket systems and several short-range missile systems. The naval fleet consists of a variety of relatively small surface crafts destroyers, frigates, missile craft, and patrol boats, as well as a small submarine fleet and an air arm. The air force flies several squadrons of high-performance fighter and ground-attack aircraft and a number of support and cargo planes. The country has developed its own main battle tanks and surface naval craftâ generally on designs contracted from foreign corporationsâ and has fielded its own missile systems, several of which appear capable of delivering unconventional payloads. Pakistan announced its status as a country with nuclear weapons by detonating several devices in The nuclear-weapons program has always been the special preserve of the Pakistani army, although its scientists and technicians are drawn primarily from civilian life. Internal security is provided by a variety of local and provincial police departments, as well as by paramilitary forces such as the Pakistan Rangers, whose task is largely to provide border security. A number of paramilitary groups, such as the fabled Khyber Rifles, are officially part of the army but frequently engage in security work, such as combating terrorists. Health and welfare Although Pakistan has made progress in improving health conditions, a large part of the population does not receive modern medical care. There are insufficient numbers of doctors and nurses, especially in rural areas. Sanitation facilities are also inadequate; only a small percentage of the population has access to safe drinking water and sanitary sewage disposal facilities. Malaria, tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases, and intestinal diseases are among the leading causes of death. Drug addiction is an increasingly serious problem; although drug use is reported most commonly among urban literate males, many others for whom documentation is more difficult to compile are also abusers. Pakistan was among the first developing countries to establish a state-funded family planning program, which began in the early s. The program ran into political difficulties in the late s as a result of opposition by Islamic groups. The development of a number of nongovernmental organizations in the country and the increasing use of private religious endowments to assist the needy have been increasing. Those efforts have been most notable in the fields of education and basic health care. Page 6

7 Chapter 4 : Pakistan Politics As the next general election draws closer, Pakistan's domestic political atmosphere is becoming highly charged. Although the elections are still five months away constitutionally, it's. The PTI boycotted the elections but became more politically active by The PTI claims to represent all Pakistanis regardless of religion, ethnicity, language or residence. It aims to create a modern, egalitarian, Islamic democratic and welfare state. It is currently the ruling party in the country. PTI also made Government in Punjab, took majority of seats in the largest city of Karachi and collaborated with Government in Balochistan. Pakistan Muslim League re-emerged onto the national political scene in Pakistan as part of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad coalition against the Pakistan Peoples Party in the elections held in PML-N boycotted the general elections in It formed government in the center, Punjab and a coalition government in the province of Balochistan, followed by governments in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Nawaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister for the third time in In the general elections of, PTI completely sided it by winning majority of seats and making government in center and three of the provinces. After completion of first parliamentary term, the PPP succeeded in the Elections of but were quickly overthrown by Zia ul Haq. From March to March, it was leading party of the ruling coalition. Party faced defeat in elections of The PPP currently holds 41 senate seats and 42 national assembly seats. It is a leftist, secular party that promotes Pashtun nationalism, democratic socialism, public sector government, and economic egalitarianism. It supports ties with Afghanistan, India, and historically the Soviet Union. Between and, it was part of the ruling PPP led coalition. It aims to create an Islamic democracy in Pakistan ruled under Sharia law. The JI elects its leader democratically; Siraj ul Haq is the incumbent amir. During the Indo-Pakistani War of it opposed the independence of Bangladesh, and were in involved in various atrocities resulting in killings of thousands of west Pakistanis. In, it established an independent political party in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. JI now has its headquarters in Mansoorah, Lahore. JI has an association with international Muslim groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. And also called as the peace keeping party of Pakistan. It currently holds 15 seats in the National Assembly, 5 seats in the Senate, 17 seats in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 8 seats in the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan. Its economic policy is socialist and moderate. It is supported by the urban Muhajir community of Sindh. Populist sufi cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is its founding chairman. PAT enjoys considerable support among religious but moderate lower middle class of the country. Tehreek e Islami[ edit ] Tehreek e Islami is an Islamic revolutionary religious and political party of Pakistan. Its head office is in Karachi. Its objective is to make Pakistan an Islamic state, governed by Sharia law, through a gradual process. Tehreek e Islami strongly opposes capitalism, liberalism, socialism and secularism as well as economic practices such as offering bank interest. Like Jamaat-e-Islami and Tanzeem-e-Islami its members form an elite with "affiliates" and then "sympathizers" beneath them. The party leader is called an ameer. In, the party split into two groups, [13] one group was led by Naeem Siddiqui himself while the coordinator of the other group was Hafeez ur Rehman Ahsan. Due to the endavour and mediation of some Arab based Pakistani friends both the groups were re-united in,he expressed the story of re-uninion in a letter to his friend Khwaja Maqbool Ellahi in [14] by saying that our difference was unique and now our union is also very unique. After the unity of both the groups of the tehreek e Islami Naeem Siddiqui became its spiritual and political Qauid leader [16]. The Islamic party came into existence, and subsequently rose to fame, after the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri, which the political party states was unjustifiable. TLP demands that Sharia law be established as law of Pakistan through a gradual legal and political process. Page 7

8 Chapter 5 : The Best Books on The Politics of Pakistan Five Books Expert Recommendations Military has a very unique association with the political system of Pakistan. Perhaps this is the only country, or one of the very few countries, in the world where such a love-hate relationship. The army generals are in charge of Pakistan; they have a firm grip over defense and security policies, foreign affairs, and internal matters. There had been a struggle between the army and Nawaz Sharif for quite some time. During his second term as prime minister in the early s, Sharif attempted to remove a military chief but instead had to resign himself. In, Sharif replaced then army chief Pervez Musharraf,but army commanders launched a coup against Sharif, and Musharraf came to power. By Sharif faced much the same dilemma. Voting in Pakistan is intensely personal, with parties gathering votes primarily through allegiance to an individual candidate who is either a feudal or has a proven ability to deliver services. The Bhutto-Zardari axis may be considered "left leaning," while the Sharif brothers may be considered "right leaning. Pakistan held successful elections in February and had a coalition government. Pakistan is a developing country with some modern facilities in major cities but limited in outlying areas. The infrastructure of areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KP regions were devastated by an October 8,, earthquake and have not yet been fully rebuilt. Massive flooding in destroyed infrastructure throughout the Indus River valley. Pakistan continues to face extraordinary challenges on the security and law enforcement front. The country has suffered greater military, law enforcement, and civilian casualties in fighting extremism and terrorism than almost any other country. Pakistan must begin to address a breadth of economic challenges that would overwhelm many emerging economies: A number of extremist groups within Pakistan continue to target US citizens and other Western interests and Pakistani officials. Terrorists have demonstrated a willingness and capability to attack targets where U. Terrorist actions may include, but are not limited to, suicide operations, bombings -- including vehicle-borne explosives and improvised explosive devices -- assassinations, carjackings, assaults, and kidnappings. Defending her father, Maryam said had Nawaz completed his second term, he would have made Pakistan an economic power at par with Malaysia, Turkey and Singapore. Hamza, 40, was rocked by a succession of scandals. He was alleged to have amassed billions through speculative trading in the poultry industry. He was still not old enough to contest the elections scheduled for spring - the minimum age is Violence, abuse, and social and religious intolerance by militant organizations and other nongovernmental actors contributed to a culture of lawlessness in some parts of the country, particularly the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KP, formerly known as the North West Frontier Province, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas FATA. Militant and terrorist bombings in all four provinces and in the FATA resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, during the year terrorist and extremist attacks and operations to combat insurgency resulted in 4, deaths, of which nearly 2, were civilians, more than were security forces, and more than 1, were terrorists or insurgents. The sit-in protest ended on 31 March after protest leaders said they were given assurances that controversial blasphemy laws would not be amended and more than 1, Islamists detained by police during the protest would be released. The PM found himself in a difficult situation following the April "revelations" made by the so-called Panama Papers. One clear sign of the political pressure felt by the Sharif family from the Panama Paper scandal was that the family reportedly discussed the possibility of the prime minister stepping down for two three months while an independent commission conducted an inquiry. One possible replacement could be Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar. The corruption case against Sharif stemmed from leaked financial documents, known as the Panama Papers, that also listed three children of the Pakistani leader as holders of offshore accounts and posh London property. Nawaz Sharif served as prime minister of Pakistan twice in the s but allegations of corruption and mismanagement of economy led to his ouster from power on both the occasions. His last government in was dislodged by a bloodless military coup, and Sharif was later exiled to Saudi Arabia. He returned to Pakistan in late His party won the national elections, bringing Sharif to power for a record third time in the troubled democratic history of a country that has experienced three military coups. Sharif, 67, chaired an emergency meeting of his Page 8

9 Pakistan Muslim League-N party in Islamabad, where leaders selected former petroleum minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as his successor for a short term of 45 days. Abbasi still must pass a vote of confidence by the parliament before assuming office. Nawaz was reportedly looking at his daughter Maryam Nawaz to head Punjab. There were also rumors that Nawaz was preparing Maryam to take up the premiership post, which created an alleged rift between the Sharif brothers. Page 9

10 Chapter 6 : List of political parties in Pakistan - Wikipedia The army has a very unique association with the political system of Pakistan. Perhaps this is the only country, or one of the very few countries, in the world where such a love-hate relationship. Pre-independence era[ edit ] The Pakistan Movement, as it came to be known, was based on the principle of two-nation theory, and aimed to establish a separate homeland for Muslims in South Asia. This was a movement against the oppression, that Muslims felt in the face of an increasingly politicized Hindu majority. The Pakistan Movement was spearheaded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and staunchly opposed by some of Muslim religious scholars. Parliamentary democracy[ edit ] After the independence, Liaquat Ali Khan became the first prime minister and Jinnah became the first Governor-General. Pakistan consisted of two wings, West-Pakistan and East-Pakistan. The Liaqat government, along with all subsequent governments during that first decade after independence, faced serious difficulties effectively governing in both East and West Pakistan, eventually leading to the military coup of Both Liaquat and Jinnah were determined to stop the riots and refugee problems and to set up an effective administrative system for the country. Liaquat Ali Khan did the groundbreaking work for the Foreign Policy of Pakistan while taking initiatives towards the formulation of the constitution. He presented The Objectives Resolution, a prelude to future constitutions, in the Legislative Assembly. The house passed it on 12 March However, Khan chose to first pay a goodwill visit to United States. This was perceived as a rebuff to Moscow, and has been traced to profound adverse consequences. Khan later tried to visit Soviet Union but the dates for goodwill visit were not materialized by Soviet Union. The same year, Jinnah declared Urdu as official language of Pakistan. It sparked protests in East Pakistan formerly East Bengal, where Bengali was spoken by most of the population. General Gracey argued that Jinnah as Governor-General represented the British Crown of which he himself was an appointee. Therefore, he did not send troops to Kashmir region. According to this agreement a ceasefire was effected in Kashmir on January 1, It was decided that a free and impartial plebiscite would be held under the supervision of the UN. In, Jinnah died, and a major problem of religious minorities flared during late and early The pact was an effort to improve relations and reduce tension between India and Pakistan, and to protect the religious minorities on both sides of the borders. In East Pakistan, the Bengali Language Movement reached its peak on 21 February, when the police and soldiers opened fire on students near the Dhaka Medical College protesting for Bengali to receive equal status with Urdu. Several protesters were killed, and the movement gained further support throughout East Pakistan. Later, the Government agreed to provide equal status to Bengali as a state language of Pakistan, a right later codified in the constitution. It was the first conspiracy against the elected government. Eleven military army officers and four civilians were involved in the conspiracy. The conspirator included Faiz Ahmad Faiz, a notable poet and intellectual, also connected with the Communist Party of Pakistan. After an month trial conducted in secrecy, Major-General Khan and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were both convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. When Suhrawardy became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in, he obtained a reprieve for most of the conspirators. In, assuming that a weakened Indian Military would not respond, Pakistan chose to send in "mujahideens" and Pakistan Army regulars into the Indian-occupied part of Jammu and Kashmir. However, even after the careful analysis, the airborne operation failed, and major war broke out between India and Pakistan. Ayub Khan blamed Bhutto for starting the conflict, while the Armed forces became increasingly involved in the war. However, both Soviet-Union and United States deescalated the conflict. China provided economic and moral help and even threatened India on its conflicted border issues. Khan urged the need of acceleration of nuclear energy programme and develop a credible nuclear deterrent capability. Ayub Khan refused accelerating the programme, and famously said: Munir Ahmad Khan quickly notified Bhutto of what had happened. However, due to economical reasons, Khan deferred and refused to expand the nuclear energy programme despite the proposals made by Bhutto, Salam and Munir Khan. Yahya and his military government promised to hold a general election within 2 years. However, the capitalization on West-Pakistan, West-Pakistanis feared the East-Pakistani separatism, therefore, Bhutto demanded a coalition government with Mujib. In a meeting, both Mujib and Bhutto agreed Page 10

11 upon a coalition government as Bhutto would assumed the Presidency and Mujib as Premier. The Military government and General Yahya Khan was kept unaware of such of these developments. Under pressured by Bhutto, Mujib and his military government, General Khan ordered a military action in East Pakistan. The Military Police arrested Bhutto and put him on house arrest. Faced with popular unrest and revolt in East-Pakistan, the Army and Navy clamped down through violence. The navy and army crackdown and brutalities during the Operation Searchlight and Operation Barisal and the continued extrajudicial killings throughout the later months resulted in further resentment among the East Pakistanis of East Pakistan. Each forces had led their own independent operations without notifying or taking on confidence the higher command. The official war between India and Pakistan ended in just a fortnight on December 16,, with Pakistan losing East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh. The official Bangladesh Government claim puts the number of Bengali civilian fatalities at 3 million. During this entire disaster, the military government had refused to take any political and reconciliation initiatives despite the calls were made. The coordination between the armed forces were ineffective and unsupported. Return of democracy[ edit ] Soon after Bhutto assumed the control of the country, Bhutto released Mujibur Rehman, and put General Khan on house arrest instead. Bhutto, immediately appeared on PTV where addressed an emotional speech to his shattered nation. All of these Commander-in-Chiefs led their services during the conflict, and openly blamed each other for their intense failure. Bhutto also disbanded the Pakistan Marines, a new service in the navy, after failing to produce any effective results during the conflict. Under this agreement, Bhutto recognized East-Pakistan as Bangladesh. Bhutto also disapproved the capitalist policies of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, and instead introduced the socialist economics policies while working to prevent any further division of the country. On 2 January, Bhutto announced the nationalization of all major industries, including iron and steel, heavy engineering, heavy electrical engineering, petrochemicals, cement and public utilities. A new labor policy was announced with more workers rights and the power of trade unions. In, Parliament of Pakistan gave approval of Constitution. For the first time after, the country was shifted back to parliamentary democracy with Bhutto as Prime minister of the country. In, Bhutto also created the office of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the chairmanship of this important and prestigious tier was given to General Muhammad Sharif, who was also promoted to 4-star rank. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee was formed after the careful analysis of Pakistan Armed Forces, and it is the principal body that maintain coordination between the armed forces. Nuclear deterrent development[ edit ] Main articles: Project and Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction Since, Bhutto had been lobbying for the option for nuclear deterrence on different occasions. Soon after Bhutto came to assume control of Pakistan, he made his move to establish the nuclear weapons development. Abdus Salam, a Nobel laureate, headed the nuclear weapons program as he was the Science adviser to the Prime minister. This includes the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapons design, development and testing programme. To compound further matters, the Soviet Union had withdrawn from Afghanistan and the strategic importance of Pakistan to the United States was gone. Having been developed under both Bhutto and Zia, the nuclear development programme had fully matured by the late s. Abdul Qadeer Khan, a metallurgical engineer, greatly contributed to the uranium enrichment programme under both governments. PAEC was also responsible for all the pre and post enrichment phases of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Pakistan Armed Forces wanted to establish military garrisons in Balochistan Province, which at that time was quite lawless and run by tribal justice. The ethnic Balochis saw this as a violation of their territorial rights. Emboldened by the stand taken by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in, the Baloch and Pashtun nationalists had also demanded their "provincial rights" from then Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in exchange for a consensual approval of the Pakistan Constitution of Tensions erupted and an armed resistance began to take place. In time, the Baloch nationalist insurgency erupted and sucked the armed forces into the province, pitting the Baloch tribal middle classes against Islamabad. The sporadic fighting between the insurgency and the army started in with the largest confrontation taking place in September when around 15, Balochs fought the Pakistani Army, Navy and the Air Force. Following the successful recovery of the ammunition in the Iraqi embassy, shipped by both Iraq and Soviet Union for the Baluchistan resistance. The Naval Intelligence launched the investigation, and cited that arms were smuggled from the coastal areas of Balochistan. The Navy acted immediately, and jumped in Page 11

12 the conflict. Vice-Admiral Patrick Simpson, commander of Southern Naval Command, began to launched the series of operation with also applying the naval blockage. The Iranian military fearing a spread of the greater Baloch resistance in Iran also aided the Bhutto-sent Pakistan military in brutally putting down the insurrection. The army had suffered 25 fatalities and around casualties in the fight while the rebels lost 5, people as of Although major fighting had broken down, ideological schisms caused splinter groups to form and steadily gain momentum. Despite the overthrow of the Bhutto government in by General Zia-ul-Haque, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, calls for secession and widespread civil disobedience remained. The provincial military government under the famously authoritarian General Rahimuddin began to act as a separate entity and military regime independent of the central government. This allowed General Rahimuddin Khan to act as an absolute Martial Law Administrator, unanswerable to the central government. Both General Zia-ul-Haq and General Rahimuddin Khan supported the declaration of a general amnesty in Balochistan to those willing to give up arms. General Rahimuddin then purposefully isolated feudal leaders such as Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Ataullah Mengal from provincial policy. He also militarily put down all civil disobedience movements, effectively leading to unprecedented social stability within the province. Due to Martial Law, his reign was the longest in the history of Balochistan â Second martial law period[ edit ] During the parliamentary elections, the Pakistan National Alliance PNA under the renowned theologian [13] Maulana Maududi began to advocate the overthrow the government of Bhutto. An agreement was eventually reached in June and Bhutto was to sign it on July 5. However, in spite the enthusiasm of the negotiating team other PNA leaders had reservations about the agreement. On the other hand, Maududi showed to Army that no agreement was taken place, and Maududi encouraged General Zia-ul-Haq, then-chief of Army Staff who was recently appointed by Bhutto after Bhutto forced to retire 17 senior generals in order to bring Zia as Chief of Army Staff. Maududi encouraged General Zia-ul-Haq to stage a coup against Bhutto, and convinced him that a new Islamic, but a military coup needed against [B]hutto in order to maintain law and order in the country. Encouraged and supported by Maududi and other hardline religious leaders, General Zia staged a coup against his own loyal supporter [Bhutto] in July See Operation Fair Play. Maududi and other hardline religious groups supported the martial law government, and remained loyal to General Zia entire his regime. Page 12

13 Chapter 7 : The Dirty Politics of Pakistan's Censored Democracy The Senate of Pakistan consist of total blog.quintoapp.com Assembly framed the Constitution which was passed on 12 April and promulgated on 14 August The Constitution provides for a parliamentary form of Government with a bicameral legislature, comprising of the National. This was the second time a female journalist had been abducted under strange circumstances, the first being Zeenat Shahzadi in After reportedly being taken to an undisclosed location, Bukhari was eventually released by her captors in the early hours of June 6. What made the episode even scarier and more intimidating was that that very same day, another journalist and anchorperson, Asad Kharal, was beaten up while he was on his way home. In a photograph, Kharal can be seen wearing a shirt with a bloody collar. The condemnation over the two incidents poured in immediately. I strongly condemn the abduction of Gul Bukhari in Lahore. These attacks must be investigated and those responsible held accountable. Censored Democracy na manzoor. But the satisfaction of that was short lived. Explain it to me. A man reads a copy of Dawn in Karachi on May 20, Led by young Manzoor Pashteen, who had been known in the area as a social worker, the Pashtuns made demands for their lives and homes to be made safe and to be given their constitutional rights. Soon enough, any channel covering PTM rallies were blacked out. Geo was blacked out for days. When it came back on air after an apparent understanding with the military, there was no mention of Pashteen or anything that could create waves. Dirty politics As the nation moved towards the elections, which are being held tomorrow, the media clampdown has worsened and is no longer limited to Geo News and Dawn. Dawn has been suffering less ads and a limited circulation. The news it prints has been toned down. Besides talking about the state of the media, Haroon said that some of the politicians were being favoured more while others were being sidelined. For many journalists and analysts, the establishment appears to be favouring Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf PTI, and the cricketer-turned-politician visibly appears to not be playing on a level field. So much so that we cannot even refer to him as the former prime minister, rather as a convicted criminal. Control Senior journalist Shahid Husain says that the media clampdown is not new. He also said that they would aid in the elections being held safely and fairly by being present both inside and outside the booths. Khan has also decried claims that any victory on his part meant that it was orchestrated. The very next day some PTI followers repeatedly kicked a donkey hard in the stomach, jaw and nose, injuring the animal severely. It eventually died in the care of an animal shelter. But Imran did not reprimand his followers for such violent behaviour, instead saying that it was a generic word. Imran Khan, populist opposition leader and former star cricket player. People look at the work that has been done. Keeping that in mind, Imran may win, but it still feels difficult. Now that he has gotten his hands dirty by making many crude statements and his crass behaviour, he and his supporters will understand that the PTI is just a one tenure party and nothing more. Page 13