Prime Minister of Pakistan

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For a list of all office-holders, see List of prime ministers of Pakistan.

Prime Minister of Pakistan
وزِیرِ اعظم پاکستان
Prime Ministerial Standard
Incumbent
Shehbaz Sharif
since 4 March 2024
Executive branch of the
Government of Pakistan
Style
TypeHead of government
StatusLeader of the House
AbbreviationPM
Member of
Reports to
ResidencePrime Minister House
SeatPrime Minister's Office, Islamabad Capital Territory-44010
AppointerNational Assembly of Pakistan
through a vote held either after a General Election or when a vacancy arises where the candidate receives either votes of an absolute majority of votes from total members in the first ballot or a majority of votes from members present and voting in the subsequent run-off ballot[2]
Term lengthUntil the dissolution of the National Assembly or until the Assembly expresses no-confidence
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Pakistan
Inaugural holderLiaquat Ali Khan
(1947–1951)
Formation14 August 1947; 76 years ago (1947-08-14)
DeputyDeputy Prime Minister of Pakistan
SalaryRs. 24.12 lakh (US$8,400), annual[n 1]
Websitepmo.gov.pk

The Prime Minister of Pakistan (

command the confidence of the National Assembly
. The prime minister is designated as the "Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic".

Pakistan's prime minister leads the executive branch of the federal government, oversees the state economy, leads the National Assembly, heads the Council of Common Interests as well as the Cabinet, and is charged with leading the National Command Authority over Pakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal.[6][7][8] This position places its holder in leadership of the nation and in control over all matters, both internal affairs and foreign policy.[9] The prime minister is elected by the members of the National Assembly and is therefore usually the leader of the majority party in the parliament. The Constitution of Pakistan vests executive powers in the prime minister, who is responsible for appointing the Cabinet as well as running the executive branch, taking and authorizing executive decisions, appointments, and recommendations that require prime ministerial confirmation.[10]

Constitutionally, the prime minister serves as the chief adviser to the

check and balance by each branch.[13] The position was absent during the years of 1958–1973, 1977–1985, and 1999–2002 due to imposed martial law. In each of these periods, the military junta led by the president had the powers of the prime minister.[14]

History

Liaquat Ali Khan, served as the first prime minister of Pakistan after independence (1947–1951).

The office of the prime minister was created on immediate effect after the

Ayub Khan
who had for a brief period held the post of Prime Minister.

In 1962, the

war led to the collapse of the presidential system
in 1971.

As the comprehensive

military intervention
in 1977 which suspended the post.

The

first woman prime minister elected in a Muslim country.[21]

From 1988 to 1993, the power struggle between the prime minister and presidency continued with the president dismissing the

2002.[23]

With no party gaining a majority, a coalition was formed with the PML(Q) – a breakaway of the PML(N) and a pro-Musharraf party – leading with MQM. After some political wrangling, Zafarullah Jamali became the prime minister, and passed the XVII amendment which partially restored the power of the president to dissolve the National Assembly, but made the dissolution subject to the Supreme Court of Pakistan's approval.[24]

Over the authority issues,[

check and balance.[27]

Following a

general election held in 2013 saw the PML(N) almost achieve a supermajority. Following this, Nawaz Sharif was elected as Prime Minister, returning to the post for the third time after a fourteen-year absence, in a democratic transition. In July 2017, Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as prime minister, not on the corruption charges linked to Panama papers leak that he was accused of, but for failing to declare as in his nomination papers, salary from a company owned by his son. His lawyer insisted that though the ousted prime minister was designated chairman of the company, he had never drawn any salary from the company.[33][34]

On 18 August 2018, Imran Khan was sworn in as the country's 22nd prime minister.[35] On 10 April 2022, a constitutional crisis culminated in Khan losing a motion of no confidence with 174 votes cast against him, ending his premiership and making him the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to be legitimately removed from office, through a motion of no confidence.[36]

On 11th April 2022, Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the country's 23rd Prime Minister. He won by majority 174 votes in the National Assembly of Pakistan. [37][38] Sharif will serve a term, at most of almost one year to fulfill Imran Khan's term until the 2023 Pakistani General Election, though the election may be called earlier.

On 3rd March 2024, Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected for the second time as the country's 24th Prime Minister.[39][40] He won by majority in the National Assembly of Pakistan against Omar Ayub Khan in a disputed elections.[41]

Constitutional law

Politics of Pakistan
Federal government
Constitution of Pakistan
Parliament legislature
  • National Assembly (Lower House)
Executive
Judiciary
Elections

Territorial election commission

Elections

Provincial elections

Territorial elections

Political parties

Administrative units
Capital territory

Provinces

Autonomous region

Federalism
  • )

    • Azad Kashmir government

    Local government

    Foreign relations
    Diplomacy

    Customs

    Regional topics

    flag Pakistan portal

    The

    chief executive
    of the Republic."

    Subject to the Constitution the Federation shall be exercised in the name of the President by the Federal Government, consisting of the Prime Minister and the Federal Ministers, which shall act through the Prime Minister, who shall be the chief executive of the Federation."

    — Article 90(1) in Chapter 3: The Federal Government of Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan, source[42]

    The prime minister is also the chairman of the Council of Common Interests as set by:

    1 There shall be a Council of Common Interests, in this Chapter referred to as the Council, to be appointed by the President

    (2) The Council shall consist of-
    (a) the Prime Minister who shall be the Chairman of the Council;
    (b) the Chief Ministers of the Provinces;

    (c) three members from the Federal Government to be nominated by the Prime Minister from time to time.

    — Article 153 in Chapter 3: Special Provisions of Part V: Relations between Federation and Provinces in the Constitution of Pakistan, source[43]

    As in most of the

    National Assembly.[42]

    Role and powers

    Prime Minister's Office in Islamabad, the principal workplace of the prime minister.

    The principal workplace of the prime minister is the

    vote of confidence, the prime minister is invited by the president to take the oath of office and form the government.[42] In practice, the prime minister nominates the members of the Cabinet who supervise the important functions and ministries of the Government of Pakistan[42] and communicates to the president all decisions of the Cabinet relating to the administration of affairs of state and proposals for legislation.[44]

    The prime minister, in consultation with the Cabinet, schedules and attends the sessions of the Parliament and is required to answer questions from members of parliament to the ministers. The prime minister makes appointments on various important positions, including:

    Some specific ministries are usually allocated to the prime minister:

    The prime minister is vested with command authority over the Pakistani nuclear arsenal and represents the country in various delegations, high-level meetings, and international organisations that require the attendance of the highest government office and also addresses the nation on various issues of national importance.[8]

    Eligibility

    The Constitution of Pakistan requires that the prime minister be a member of the National Assembly.[45] As well as this, one must:

    • be a
      citizen
      of Pakistan.
    • be a
      Muslim
    • be above 25 years of age
    • be able to prove good conduct of character and be not commonly known to violate Islamic injunctions
    • have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practice obligatory duties prescribed by Islam, as well as abstaining from major sins
    • have not, after the establishment of Pakistan, worked against the integrity of the country or opposed the
      ideology of Pakistan.[46]

    Selection and removal

    The candidates for the prime minister are members of the National Assembly who were chosen through

    vote of confidence of the members of the parliament before being invited by the president to form the government.[42]

    The prime minister can be removed before the expiry of the term through a

    National Assembly by a simple majority, the prime minister ceases to retain the office.[42] In the past, prime ministers (and their governments) have been dismissed by the president exercising the VIII Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan (1985), but this was repealed by the XVIII Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan (2010).[49][50] The prime minister has absolute constitutional immunity from criminal and civil proceedings, and no proceedings can be initiated or continued against him during the term of his office.[51]

    In 2012, the

    parliament permanently.[52][53]

    On 28 July 2017, the

    parliament.[54]

    The prime minister is elected by the National Assembly.[55] The National Assembly meets on the twenty-first day after a general election (at least every five years) unless the president calls for a vote of no confidence. Whichever member of the National assembly is chosen serves as the prime minister until the next election or until he fails to maintain the confidence of the National Assembly.

    91. The Cabinet:

    (1) There shall be a Cabinet of Ministers, with the Prime Minister at its head, to aid and advise the President in the exercise of his functions.

    (2) The National Assembly shall meet on the twenty-first day following the day on which a general election to the Assembly is held unless sooner summoned by the President.

    (3) After the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, the National Assembly shall, to the exclusion of any other business, proceed to elect without debate one of its Muslim members to be the Prime Minister.

    (4) The Prime Minister shall be elected by the votes of the majority of the total membership of the National Assembly:

    Provided that, if no member secures such majority in the first poll, a second poll shall be held between the members who secure the two highest numbers of votes in the first poll and the member who secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting shall be declared to have been elected as Prime Minister:

    Provided further that, if the number of votes secured by two or more members securing the highest number of votes is equal, further poll shall be held between them until one of them secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting.

    (5) The member elected under clause (4) shall be called upon by the President to assume the office of Prime Minister and he shall, before entering upon the office, make before the President oath in the form set out in the Third Schedule:

    Provided that there shall be no restriction on the number of terms for the office of the Prime Minister.

    Oath of office

    The prime minister is required to make and subscribe to, in the presence of the president, an oath or affirmation that they shall protect, preserve and defend the Constitution as follows:

    I, ____________, do swear solemnly that l am a

    Holy Quran and Sunnah
    :

    That I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan:

    That, as Prime Minister of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well- being and prosperity of Pakistan:

    That I will strive to preserve the Islamic Ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan:

    That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions:

    That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:

    That, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favor, affection or ill- will:

    And that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Prime Minister except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as Prime Minister.

    May Allah Almighty help and guide me (A'meen).[56]

    See also

    Notes

    1. ^ The salary of Prime Minister of Pakistan is 2 Lakhs 1 thousand per month (9,50,574/month equivalent US$1,323) inclusive of all allowances and exclusive of the taxes, He is not receiving any payment from government. The salaries of federal ministers, state ministers, senators, high court judges, and president is more than the prime minister of Pakistan.[3][4][5]

    References

    1. ^ "Heads of State, Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs" (PDF). UN. United Nations Foreign and Protocol Service.
    2. ^ "Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan - Part III, Chapter 3: The Federal Government".
    3. ^ "No pay raise for Imran, says PM office". Dawn. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
    4. ^ "Prime Minister's monthly income less than parliamentarians, ministers and judges – Pakistan". Dunya News. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
    5. ^ "The salary that we are not paying the PM". Dawn News. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
    6. ^ Article 91(1) in Chapter 3: The Federal Government, Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan.
    7. ^ Article 153(2a)-153(2c) in Chapter 3: Special Provisions, Part V: Relations between Federation and Provinces in the Constitution of Pakistan.
    8. ^ a b Govt. of Pakistan (3 March 2010). "The National Command Authority Act, 2010" (PDF). Islamabad: National Assembly press. National Assembly press. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
    9. ISBN 978-1438775258
      .
    10. ^ "Prime minister". BBC News. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    11. ^ Article 243(2)) in Chapter 2: The Armed Forces. Part XII: Miscellaneous in the Constitution of Pakistan.
    12. ^ Article 46 in Chapter 1: The President, Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan.
    13. ^ a b "Pakistan Supreme Court orders arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf". BBC. 15 January 2013.
    14. ISBN 978-0981537894
      .
    15. ^ Mughal, M Yakub. "Special Edition (Liaqat Ali Khan)". The News International. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    16. ^ "The Constitution of 1956". Story of Pakistan. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    17. ^
      ISBN 978-81-261-1390-3
      .
    18. ^ "The Constitution of 1962". Story of Pakistan. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    19. ^ "The Constitution of Pakistan". infopak.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    20. ISBN 978-0-8047-5085-1
      .
    21. ^ "Benazir Bhutto Becomes Prime Minister". Story of Pakistan. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    22. ISBN 978-81-7099-700-9
      . Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    23. ^ "Pakistan after the coup: Special report". BBC News. 12 October 2000. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    24. ^ a b "Seventeenth Amendment 2003". Story of Pakistan. 1 June 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    25. ^ "Shaukat Aziz profile from BBC". BBC News. 19 August 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    26. ^ "Yousaf Raza Gillani profile from BBC". BBC News. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    27. ^ "Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan" (PDF). National Assembly of Pakistan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    28. ^ "Pak SC disqualifies Gilani; new PM to be selected soon". Hindustan Times. 19 June 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    29. ^ "Pakistan Peoples Party nominates Makhdoom Shahbuddin as new PM". The Times of India. 20 June 2012.
    30. ^ a b Nabi, Muhammad (22 June 2012). "Raja Pervez Ashraf nominated new Prime Minister of Pakistan". Business Recorder. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    31. ^ "Raja Pervez Ashraf declared new Pakistani PM". The Dawn. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
    32. ^ "PPP nominates Raja Pervez Ashraf as new Pakistan PM". The Times of India. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
    33. TheGuardian.com
      . 28 July 2017.
    34. ^ Siddiqui, Zain (28 July 2017). "The technicality that led to Nawaz Sharif's disqualification". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
    35. ^ Raza, Syed Irfan (11 August 2018). "Imran to take oath as PM on August 18: PTI". Dawn. Pakistan. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
    36. ^ "Imran Khan loses no-trust vote, prime ministerial term set for unceremonious end". Dawn. 9 April 2022.
    37. ^ Dawn.com (11 April 2022). "Shehbaz Sharif elected prime minister of Pakistan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
    38. ^ Zaman, Q. "Shehbaz Sharif elected as Pakistan's new prime minister". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
    39. ^ Desk, Web (3 March 2024). "Shahbaz Sharif elected as 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan". Hum NEWS. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
    40. ^ "Shehbaz Sharif wins Pakistan's top job for second time". Yahoo News. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
    41. ^ "Shehbaz Sharif 'elected' Pakistan PM weeks after disputed elections". WION. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
    42. ^ a b c d e f g "Chapter 3: "The Federal Government" of Part III: "The Federation of Pakistan"". pakistani.org.
    43. ^ "Chapter 3: "Special Provisions" of Part V: "Relations between Federation and Provinces"". pakistani.org.
    44. ^ Article 46(a) in Chapter 1: The President in Part III: The Federation of Pakistan of the Constitution of Pakistan
    45. ^ "Chapter 2: "Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)" of Part III: "The Federation of Pakistan"". pakistani.org.
    46. ^ "Qualifications for membership of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)".
    47. ^ Hanif, Mohammad (13 May 2013). "Pakistan elections: how Nawaz Sharif beat Imran Khan and what happens next". The Guardians, Pakistan Bureau. The Guardians. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
    48. ^ Boone, Jon (17 May 2013). "Nawaz Sharif: rightwing tycoon who has won over liberals – for now". The Guardians. The Guardians. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
    49. ISBN 978-1134074105
      . Retrieved 20 May 2015.
    50. ISBN 978-9041117755
      .
    51. ^ Article 248(1) in Chapter 4: constitutionGeneral of Part XII: Miscellaneous in the Constitution of Pakistan.
    52. ^ Walsh, declan (19 June 2012). "Political Instability Rises as Pakistani Court Ousts Premier". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
    53. ^ Nauman, Qaiser (19 June 2012). "Pakistan Supreme Court disqualifies prime minister". Reuters. Reuters, Pakistan Bureau. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
    54. ^ "Pakistan Supreme Court disqualifies prime minister". Dawn. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
    55. ^ Article 91 in Chapter 3: of the Constitution of Pakistan.
    56. ^ Article 91 in Chapter 3: The Federal Government in Part III: The Federation of Pakistan in the Constitution of Pakistan

    Further reading

    External links

    • Profile on the website of the government of Pakistan
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prime_Minister_of_Pakistan&oldid=1219976387"