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"
federal parliamentary republic
name: Islamabad
geographic coordinates: 33 41 N, 73 03 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: derived from two words: Islam, an Urdu word referring to the religion of Islam, and -abad, a Persian suffix indicating an "inhabited place" or "city," to render the meaning "City of Islam"
4 provinces, 2 Pakistan-administered areas*, and 1 capital territory**; Azad Kashmir*, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh
14 August 1947 (from British India)
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
history: several previous; latest endorsed 12 April 1973, passed 19 April 1973, entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times)
amendments: proposed by the Senate or by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of both houses; amended many times, last in 2018
common law system with Islamic law influence
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
citizenship by birth: yes
citizenship by descent only: 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
18 years of age; universal; note - there are joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
chief of state: President Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 10 March 2024)
head of government: Prime Minister Shahbaz SHARIF (since 3 March 2024)
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 (limited to 2 consecutive terms); election last held on 9 March 2024 (next to be held in 2029)
election results:2024: Asif Ali ZARDARI elected president; National Assembly vote - Asif Ali ZARDARI (PPP) 411 votes, Mehmood Khan ACHAKZALI (PMAP) -181 votes; Shahbaz SHARIF elected prime minister on 3 March 2024; National Assembly vote - Shahbaz SHARIF (PML-N) 201, Omar AYUB (PTI) 92
2018: Arif ALVI elected president; Electoral College vote - Arif ALVI (PTI) 352, Fazl-ur-REHMAN (MMA) 184, Aitzaz AHSAN (PPP) 124; Imran KHAN elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - Imran KHAN (PTI) 176, Shehbaz SHARIF (PML-N) 96
description: bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of:
Senate (100 seats; members indirectly elected by the 4 provincial assemblies and the federal capital territory indirectly elected by the National Assembly using proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years)
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 3 March 2021 (next to be held on 2 April 2024)
National Assembly - last held on 8 February 2024 (next to be held in 2029)
election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PTI 25, PPP 21, PML-N 18, BAP 13, JUI-F 5, other 13, independent 5; composition - men 81, women 19, percent of women 19%
National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML-N 75, PPP 54, MQM-P 17, JUI-F 4, Pakistan Muslim League 3, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party 2, BNP-A 2, BAP 1, PMAP 1, PML-Z 1, NP 1, independent 101, other 8, vacant 2 (excludes 70 seats reserved for women and non-Muslims); composition - NA
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; 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, and customs
Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]
Awami Muslim League or AML [Sheikh Rashid AHMED]
Balochistan Awami Party or BAP [Abdul Quddus BIZENJO]
Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A [Mir Israrullah ZEHRI]
Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Akhtar Jan MENGAL]
Grand Democratic Alliance or GDA [Pir PAGARO] (alliance of several parties)
Hazara Democratic Party or HDP [Abdul Khaliq HAZARA]
Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party [Jahangir TAREEN]
Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Siraj-ul-HAQ]
Jamhoori Wattan Party or JWP [Nawabzada Shahzain BUGTI]
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl or JUI-F [Maulana Fazal-ur-REHMAN]
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan or MWM [Raja Nasir ABBAS]
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal or MMA [Maulana Fazal-ur-REHMAN] (alliance of several parties)
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan or MQM-P [Khalid Maqbool SIDDIQUI]
National Party or NP [Abdul Malik BALOCH]
Pakistan Muslim League or PML-Z (Zia-ul-Haq Shaheed)
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO]
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N [Shehbaz SHARIF]
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam or PML-Q [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]
Pakistan Peoples Party or PPP [Bilawal BHUTTO ZARDARI, Asif Ali ZARDARI]
Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party or PRHP [Muhammad Ibrahim QASMI]
Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI (Pakistan Movement for Justice) [Imran KHAN]
Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party or PMAP or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan or TLP [Hafiz Muhammad Saad Hussain Rizvi MARKAZI]
note: Pakistan has several hundred officially registered political parties; this list includes those that won seats in the most recent elections at the national and provincial levels
ADB, AIIB, ARF, ASEAN (sectoral dialogue partner), C, CERN (associate member), 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, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNSOS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Sardar Masood KHAN (since 19 April 2022)
chancery: 3517 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 686-1534
email address and website:
consularsection@embassyofpakistanusa.org
https://embassyofpakistanusa.org/
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald BLOME (since 2 July 2022)
embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
mailing address: 8100 Islamabad Place, Washington, DC 20521-8100
telephone: [92] 051-201-4000
FAX: [92] 51-2338071
email address and website:
ACSIslamabad@state.gov
https://pk.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general: Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar
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
five-pointed star between the horns of a waxing crescent moon, jasmine; national colors: green, white
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)
total World Heritage Sites: 6 (all cultural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro; Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi; Taxila; Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore; Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta; Rohtas Fort
NOTE: The information regarding Pakistan on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Pakistan 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Pakistan 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 04 May 24, Copyright © 2024 ITA all rights reserved.
