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Updated April 18, 2019
Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting
Overview
Movement for Justice) party swept a large plurality of NA
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a parliamentary
seats (see Figure 1) and now leads a coalition in the Punjab
democracy in which the prime minister is head of
assembly while retaining its majority in KPk. Party founder
government and the president is head of state. A bicameral
and leader Imran Khan was elected prime minister in
parliament is comprised of a 342-seat National Assembly
August 2018 with support from several smaller parties in a
(NA) and a 104-seat Senate, both with directly elected
PTI-led federal ruling coalition. The Pakistan Muslim
representatives from each of the country’s four provinces
League faction of Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) was ousted at
(Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or KPk, Punjab, and
both the federal and Punjab government levels (Punjab is
Sindh), as well as from the Federally Administered Tribal
home to more than half of all Pakistanis).
Areas and the Islamabad Capital Territory (the quasi-
independent regions of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
Figure 1. Major Party Representation in Pakistan’s
have no representation). The NA reserves 60 seats for
15th National Assembly
women and 10 seats for religious minorities on a
proportional basis, meaning only 272 districts elect
representatives. The prime minister is elected to an
indeterminate term by the NA. The president is elected to a
five-year term by an Electoral College comprised of both
chambers of Parliament, as well as members of each of the
country’s four provincial assemblies. NA and provincial
assembly members are elected to five-year terms. Senate
terms are six years, with elections every three years. Senate
powers are limited, and only the NA can approve budget
Source: CRS using data from Election Commission of Pakistan.
and finance bills.
Voter turnout was a modest 51% (down from 55% in 2013),
Historically, constitutionalism and parliamentary
with campaigning and Election Day marred by lethal
democracy have fared poorly in Pakistan, marked by
terrorist attacks. Many analysts contend that Pakistan’s
tripartite power struggles among presidents, prime
security services covertly manipulated the country’s
ministers, and army chiefs. The country has endured direct
domestic politics before and during the election with a
military rule for nearly half of its 71 years of
central motive of (again) removing Nawaz Sharif from
independence—most recently from 1999 to 2008—
power and otherwise weakening his incumbent party. A
interspersed with periods of generally weak civilian
purported “military-judiciary nexus” allegedly came to
governance. Pakistan has had five Constitutions, the most
favor Khan’s PTI. Election observers and human rights
recent being ratified in 1973 (and significantly modified
groups issued statements pointing to sometimes “severe”
several times since). The military, usually acting in tandem
abuses of democratic norms, and the unprecedented
with the president, has engaged in three outright seizures of
participation of small parties with links to banned Islamist
power from civilian-led governments: by Army Chiefs
terrorist groups was seen to embolden militants (Islamist
General Ayub Khan in 1958, General Zia ul-Haq in 1977,
parties won a combined 10% of the national vote in 2018).
and General Pervez Musharraf in 1999. After 1970, five
successive governments were voted into power, but not
Zardari/PPP Era, 2008-2013
until 2013 was a government voted out of power—all
After nine years of direct military rule under General
previous were removed by the army through explicit or
Musharraf and just weeks after Benazir Bhutto’s 2008
implicit presidential orders. Of Pakistan’s three most
murder, her dynastic Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won a
prominent prime ministers, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was
plurality of both votes and NA seats in 2008 elections, and
executed; his daughter Benazir Bhutto was exiled and later
the party went on to lead a sometimes thin coalition
assassinated; and three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
government under de facto control of her widower, Asif Ali
has never completed a term.
Zardari, who won the presidency later in 2008 and was the
country’s most powerful politician until his term ended in
2018 National and Provincial Elections
2013. Formal civilian governance was restored, although
Elections to seat Pakistan’s 15th NA and four provincial
the military continued to wield considerable influence over
assemblies took place as scheduled in July 2018,
the country’s foreign and national security policies. While
successfully marking the country’s second-ever and
in office, the PPP-led coalition reversed many of the
consecutive democratic transfer of power. The outcome saw
constitutional changes implemented by the military
a dramatic end to the decades-long domination of
government it had replaced, including restoring most
Pakistan’s national politics by two dynastic parties, as the
executive powers to the prime minister.
relatively young Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI or
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Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting
Sharif/PML-N Era, 2013-2018
Leading Parties
The 2013 national elections saw Sharif’s PML-N win an
The following five parties won 89% of NA seats in 2018:
outright majority (56%) of NA seats, defeating both the
incumbent PPP and a new national-level challenge from
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was founded by Imran
Khan’s PTI, which surged into prominence after 2011. The
Khan in 1996. Centrist and nationalist in orientation, with
PML-N’s historic mandate was a Punjabi one—more than
anti-corruption as its flagship campaign issue, the party
90% of the party’s NA seats were from that province,
won numerous prominent converts after 2011. Although
where Nawaz’s brother Shabaz was chief minister. Nawaz
Khan had been a cricket superstar, “jet-setting playboy,”
saw his third prime ministerial term end abruptly in July
and philanthropist, he led the PTI in relative political
2017, when he was barred from holding office by the
obscurity for more than 16 years before emerging as a
Supreme Court for tax evasion and willful nondisclosure of
major player early this decade. In 2013, his party won a
significant overseas assets (he was convicted and jailed just
majority of provincial assembly seats in the Pashtun-
weeks before the 2018 elections). Many observers called
majority KPk province, where it has seen a mixed
Sharif’s removal a “soft coup” orchestrated by the military.
governance record. Khan has been a vehement critic of the
A PML-N loyalist served his term’s final ten months.
United States in the past and is viewed by some as
sympathetic toward Islamist militants. The PTI holds 149
Khan/PTI Era, 2018-Present
NA seats—almost half of them from the Punjab heartland—
Prime Minister Khan had no governance experience prior to
won nearly 32% of the 2018 vote nationally, leads both the
winning his current office. His “Naya [New] Pakistan”
Federal and Punjab ruling coalitions (the latter under Chief
vision—which appeared to animate many younger, urban,
Minister Sardar Uzman Buzdar), and continues to run the
middle-class voters—emphasizes anti-corruption and
KPk province (under Chief Minister Mahmood Khan).
creation of a “welfare state” that provides better education
and health care, but the latter effort has foundered due to
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was
the country’s acute financial crisis, and a need for new
established in 1993 by then-Prime Minister Sharif as an
foreign borrowing and government austerity. Most analysts
offshoot of the country’s oldest party and the only major
see Pakistan’s military establishment continuing to retain
party existing at the time of independence. With a center-
dominant influence over foreign and security policies.
right orientation and home to many religious conservatives,
its core constituency is in Punjab province. Under Shabaz
Key Government Officials
Sharif’s campaign leadership the PML-N won 81 NA seats
Prime Minister Imran Khan, an Oxford-educated Pashtun
with over 24% of the 2018 vote, and it leads the national
from Lahore, played cricket professionally for decades
opposition alliance.
before entering politics, and led in establishing a cancer
hospital and technical college in Punjab.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was established in 1967 by
former Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto. Democratic socialist
Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a
and home to many so-called “secularists,” its main
prominent Punjabi politician and PTI Vice Chairman,
constituency is in Sindh, where it continues to run the
served as foreign minister in a PPP-led government from
provincial government (under Chief Minister Syed Murad
2008 before joining PTI in 2011.
Ali Shah). The PPP Chairman is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,
son of former President Asif Zardari and former PM
Finance Minister [Vacant] (Former Karachi corporate
Benazir Bhutto. The PPP won 54 NA seats with 13% of the
CEO Asad Umar resigned in April 2019.)
2018 vote, and is part of the national opposition alliance.
Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, a Pashtun from KPk’s
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is a coalition of five
Nowshera district and former PTI Secretary General, was
conservative Islamist parties, most notably the Jamiat
KPk chief minister from 2013 to 2018.
Ulema-e-Islam–Fazl-ur (JUI-F), a Deobandi party led by
cleric Fazl-ur Rehman since 1988, ideologically similar to
Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa began his
the Afghan Taliban and with links to Pakistani militant
three-year appointment in November 2016 and is widely
groups. The MMA won 15 NA seats—all of them from
described as professional and nonpolitical. He previously
KPk and Baluchistan provinces—with nearly 5% of the
served as Commander of X Corps in Rawalpindi.
2018 vote, and is part of the national opposition alliance.
Inter-Services Intelligence Director-General Lt. General
Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) is a regional party
Asim Munir, previously the Military Intelligence chief,
established by descendants of pre-partition immigrants
received his third star in September 2018 and began his
(Muhajirs) from what is now India. Secular and focused on
three-year appointment a month later.
provincial issues, its core support is wholly limited to
Karachi and other Sindh urban centers. The MQM won 7
Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, a key judge in the
NA seats with about 1.4% of the 2018 vote, and is part of
2017 disqualification of then-PM Sharif, has led the
the PTI-led ruling coalition.
Supreme Court since January 2019.
Sources: Government of Pakistan agencies; party websites
President Arif Alvi, a founding PTI member, was elected
to the now largely ceremonial position in September 2018.
K. Alan Kronstadt, Specialist in South Asian Affairs
IF10359
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Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10359 · VERSION 18 · UPDATED