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Updated April 28, 2022
Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting
Overview
the Punjab assembly while retaining its majority in KP.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a parliamentary
Party founder and leader Imran Khan was elected prime
democracy in which the prime minister is head of
minister in August 2018 with support from several smaller
government and the president is head of state. A bicameral
parties in a PTI-led federal ruling coalition. The Pakistan
parliament is comprised of a 342-seat National Assembly
Muslim League faction of Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) was
(NA) and a 104-seat Senate, both with directly elected
ousted at both the federal and Punjab provincial levels
representatives from each of the country’s four provinces
(Punjab is home to about 60% of Pakistanis).
(Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or KP, Punjab, and
Sindh), as well as from the former Federally Administered
Figure 1. Major Party Representation in Pakistan’s
Tribal Areas (now part of KP) and the Islamabad Capital
15th National Assembly (until April 2022)
Territory (the quasi-independent regions of Azad Kashmir
and Gilgit-Baltistan have no representation). The NA
reserves 60 seats for 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
Source: CRS using data from Election Commission of Pakistan.
elected to five-year terms. Senate terms are six years, with
Voter turnout was a modest 51% (down from 55% in 2013),
elections every three years. Senate powers are limited, and
with campaigning and Election Day marred by lethal
only the NA can approve budget and finance bills.
terrorist attacks. Many analysts contend that Pakistan’s
Historically, constitutionalism and parliamentary
security services covertly manipulated the country’s
democracy have fared poorly in Pakistan, marked by
domestic politics before and during the election with a
tripartite power struggles among presidents, prime
central motive of (again) removing Sharif’s party from
ministers, and army chiefs. The country has endured direct
power and otherwise weakening it. A purported “military-
military rule for 33 of its 75 years of independence—most
judiciary nexus” allegedly came to favor Khan’s PTI.
recently from 1999 to 2008—interspersed with periods of
Election observers and human rights groups issued
generally weak civilian governance. Pakistan has had five
statements pointing to sometimes “severe” abuses of
Constitutions, the most recent ratified in 1973 and
democratic norms, and included the participation of parties
significantly modified several times since. The military,
with links to banned Islamist terrorist groups (Islamist
usually acting in tandem with the president, has engaged in
parties won a combined 10% of the national vote in 2018).
three outright seizures of power from elected governments:
by Army Chiefs General Ayub Khan in 1958, General Zia
2022 Political Upheaval and New Government
ul-Haq in 1977, and General Pervez Musharraf in 1999.
On March 8, 2022, less than four years after PM Khan had
After 1970, five successive governments were voted into
been seated, opposition parties in the NA moved a no-
power, but not until 2013 was a government voted out of
confidence motion against him, accusing him of poor
power—all previous were removed by the army through
governance and economic mismanagement. This sparked a
presidential orders. Of Pakistan’s three most prominent
month-long crisis that resulted in Khan’s removal from
prime ministers, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed; his
office on April 10 and the seating of a new government
daughter Benazir Bhutto was exiled and later assassinated;
under PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif. Khan, having
and three-time PM Nawaz Sharif was convicted on
reportedly lost the support of Pakistan’s powerful military,
corruption charges and lives in self-imposed exile.
vigorously opposed the no-confidence effort, ultimately
asking the president to dissolve the NA (before it could
2018 National and Provincial Elections
vote), while calling opposition and defecting PTI members
Elections to seat Pakistan’s 15th NA and four provincial
“traitors” and claiming without evidence that the U.S.
assemblies took place as scheduled in July 2018,
government had conspired to unseat him. Pakistan’s
successfully marking the country’s second-ever and
Supreme Court ruled that Khan’s actions were illegal, thus
consecutive democratic transfer of power. The outcome saw
restoring the NA and allowing a vote on the motion. A
a dramatic end to the decades-long domination of
majority of PTI members boycotted the vote—which
Pakistan’s national politics by two dynastic parties, as the
passed with 174 votes, two more than required—and
relatively young Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI or
resigned their seats. New national elections may be held as
Movement for Justice) party swept a large plurality of NA
early as October 2022 and no later than July 2023.
seats (see Figure 1) and, until April 2022, led a coalition in
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Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting
Background: Zardari/PPP Era, 2008-2013
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt.
After nine years of direct military rule under General
General Nadeem Anjum, who most recently commanded
Musharraf and just weeks after Benazir Bhutto’s 2008
the army’s Karachi-based V Corps, began his three-year
murder, her dynastic Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won a
appointment in November 2021.
plurality of both votes and NA seats in 2008 elections, and
Leading Parties
the party went on to lead a sometimes thin coalition
government under de facto control of her widower, Asif Ali
The following five parties won 89% of NA seats in 2018:
Zardari, who won the presidency later in 2008 and was the
country’s most powerful politician until his term ended in
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), founded by Imran Khan
in 1996, is centrist and nationalist in orientation, with
2013. Formal civilian governance was restored, with most
anticorruption as its flagship campaign issue. In 2013,
executive powers returning to the prime minister.
Khan, a former cricket superstar, saw his PTI win a
Background: Sharif/PML-N Era, 2013-2018
majority of provincial assembly seats in the Pashtun-
The 2013 national elections saw Sharif’s PML
majority KP province, where it has seen a mixed
-N win an
governance record. Khan has been a vocal critic of the
outright majority (56%) of NA seats, defeating both the
United States and is viewed by some as sympathetic toward
incumbent PPP and a new national-level challenge from
Khan’s PTI
Islamist militants. Until April 2022, the PTI held 155 NA
, which surged into prominence after 2011. The
seats—almost half of them from the Punjab heartland—
PML-N’s mandate was a Punjabi one—90% of its seats
won nearly 32% of the 2018 vote nationally, led a national
came from that province. Nawaz’s third term as PM ended
ruling coalition, and continues to run the KP province
abruptly in 2017 when he was barred from holding office
(under Chief Minister Mahmood Khan).
after convictions for tax evasion and willful nondisclosure
of overseas assets. Many observers called Sharif’s removal
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was
a “soft coup” orchestrated by the military. A PML-N
established in 1993 by then-Prime Minister Sharif as an
loyalist served his term’s final 10 months.
offshoot of the country’s oldest party and the only major
party existing at the time of independence. With a center-
Background: Khan/PTI Era, 2018-2022
right orientation and home to many religious conservatives,
Prime Minister Khan had no governance experience prior to
its core constituency is in Punjab. Under Shabaz Sharif’s
winning office. His “Naya [New] Pakistan” vision—which
campaign leadership the PML-N won 81 NA seats with
animated many younger, urban, middle-class voters—
over 24% of the 2018 vote, and it led the national
emphasized anticorruption and creation of a “welfare state,”
opposition alliance until Khan’s April 2022 removal, when
but the latter effort foundered due to the country’s acute
Shahbaz’s son, Hamza, became Punjab Chief Minister.
financial crises. Most analysts saw Pakistan’s military
establishment continuing to retain dominant influence over
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was established in 1967 by
foreign and security policies.
former PM Z.A. Bhutto. Democratic socialist and home to
Key Government Officials
many so-called “secularists,” its main constituency is in
Sindh, where it continues to run the provincial government
Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif, the younger brother of
(under Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah). PPP
former PM Nawaz Sharif, served as Punjab Chief Minister
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the son of former
for 10 years before becoming PML-N leader (and NA
President Asif Zardari and former PM Benazir Bhutto. The
Opposition Leader) in 2018 after his brother’s expulsion
PPP won 54 NA seats with 13% of the 2018 vote and, since
from politics. Generally seen as a popular and effective
April 2022, is part of the national ruling coalition.
administrator, Sharif took office in April 2022.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is a coalition of five
Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the
conservative Islamist parties, most notably the Jamiat
PPP Chairman since late 2007, first won an NA seat in
Ulema-e-Islam–Fazl-ur (JUI-F) led by cleric Fazl-ur
Sindh in 2018. The 33-year-old dynastic scion became
Rehman since 1988, ideologically similar to the Afghan
Pakistan’s youngest-ever foreign minister in April 2022.
Taliban and with links to Pakistani militant groups. Rehman
is able to generate considerable “street power” and led a
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammed Asif, a Punjabi
major 2019 protest movement. The MMA won 15 NA
PML-N stalwart, was defense minister and then foreign
seats—all of them from KP and Baluchistan—with nearly
minister from 2013-2018, taking office again in April 2022.
5% of the 2018 vote.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was a longtime Punjab
Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) is a regional party
provincial minister before winning an NA seat in 2018 and
established by descendants of pre-partition immigrants
taking the interior portfolio in April 2022.
(Muhajirs) from what is now India. Secular and focused on
Finance Minister Mifta Ismail, a U.S.-educated political
provincial issues, its core support is mainly in Karachi and
economist from Karachi, joined the PML-N in 2011 and
other Sindhi urban centers. The MQM won 7 NA seats with
held the finance portfolio briefly in 2018 before returning to
about 1.4% of the 2018 vote, and had been part of the PTI-
the position in April 2022.
led ruling coalition until its April 2022 defection.
Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa began his
Sources: Government of Pakistan agencies; party websites
three-year appointment in 2016; in 2019, PM Khan
K. Alan Kronstadt, Specialist in South Asian Affairs
extended this tenure into late 2022. He is often described as
being de facto Pakistan’s most powerful official.
IF10359
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Pakistan’s Domestic Political Setting
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