The country is a federal parliamentary republic in which provincial governments enjoy a high degree of autonomy and residuary powers.

Executive power is vested with the national cabinet which is headed by Prime Minister of Pakistan (Shehbaz Sharif since 3 March 2024), who works with the bicameral parliament and the judiciary.

[1] Stipulations set by the constitution provide a delicate check and balance of sharing powers between executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government.

Since the amendment, the president's powers include the right to pardon and the ability to suspend or moderate any sentence passed by any court or authority.

[14][15][16][17] After the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf in 2008, a sharp line has been drawn between the "military establishment" and politics and Pakistan is moving closer to becoming a democracy after general elections in 2013.

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.

In the past one of these powers —a legacy of military dictator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq— has included the president's discretionary ability to dissolve the National Assembly when "a situation has arisen in which the Government of the Federation cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and an appeal to the electorate is necessary.

According to Article 50 of the Constitution, the National Assembly, the Senate and the President together make up a body known as the Majlis-e-Shoora (Council of Advisers).

Seats are allocated to each of the four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Islamabad Capital Territory on the basis of population.

Although the vast majority of the members are Muslim, about 5 percent of the seats are reserved for minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs.

The chief justice and judges of the Supreme Court may remain in office until age sixty-five: now 68 years and this is also another clause of seventeenth amendment.

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.

The first decade was marred with political unrest and instability, with frequent collapses of civilian democratic governments that eventually led to the 1958 military coup.

Officially a federal Islamic republic, Pakistan has had a long history of alternating periods of electoral democracy and authoritarian military government.

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.

40 The "local authority" or Provisional government of Azad Kashmir as established in October 1947 handed over to Pakistan under the Karachi Agreement of 28 April 1949, matters related to defence, foreign affairs, negotiations with the UNCIP and coordination of all affairs relating to Gilgit and Baltistan (strategically important territories that now constitute Pakistan's "Northern Areas").

This methodology is not new to the region, as it is similar to what is referred to as the old Panchayat Raj system in India that was introduced by Britain during the colonial era.

It got new life after the very successful West Bengal revival in the 1970s, which eventually inspired the 1990s Constitutional Amendment making it national policy.

UK, the country which first introduced this methodology in the region, also has the urban examples of London and Birmingham (being implemented in the post-2001 era by building on steps first introduced in the 1980s); as does France (where largest cities and smaller units have created such frameworks either by devolution (Marseilles and Lyon, in addition to Paris) or by integration of neighbouring units (such as the Nantes region pursuant to the Marcellin Act of the 1970s); and Canada.

In the US, the seven county Twin Cities (MN) regional system and Portland (OR) Metro are both the most integrated US examples; but, also those often cited in the US for what they have achieved.

Wary of Soviet expansion, Pakistan had strong relations with both the United States of America and the People's Republic of China during much of the Cold War.

[32] Pakistan's decades-long rivalry and conflict with U.S. strategic partner India also poses difficulties for the country's efforts to improve relations with the United States.

[33] At times there have been claims of foreigners getting very close to Pakistani political leaderships and deep state dispensations and have had possible indirect influential roles.

[34] Joanne Herring, an American socialite, is widely believed to have influenced General Zia Ul Haq's foreign policies.

[35] The Freedom House also commented that the military exerts enormous influence over security and policy issues, intimidates the press, and enjoys impunity for indiscriminate or extralegal use of force.

Political chaos, economic crisis and security threats test Pakistan’s fragile state as the military seeks to retain control.

Over the past 12 months, the average inflation rate stood at 30 per cent, significantly impacting the affordability of daily essentials such as food and transportation for the poor and middle-class.

The country's economy is teetering on the brink of collapse, attributed to years of financial mismanagement, natural disasters, and political turmoil.

[37] On 4 August 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan unveiled a "new political map" of Pakistan which shows the whole Kashmir region (excluding areas of Aksai Chin under Chinese control) and the former Princely state of Junagadh as Pakistani territory.

However Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said the only solution to the Kashmir issue was through the UN Resolution 39, adopted back on January 20, 1948, and which gave the right to Kashmiris to either merge with Pakistan or India.