| Prime Minister of Pakistan | |
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| وزِیرِ اعظم پاکستان Wazīr-e-Aʿẓam Pākistān | |
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| Executive branch of the Government of Pakistan | |
| Style |
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| Type | Head of government |
| Status | Leader of the House |
| Abbreviation | PM |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | |
| Residence | Prime Minister House |
| Seat | Islamabad |
| Nominator | National Assembly of Pakistan |
| Appointer | President of Pakistan |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the president subject to Article 91(7) of theConstitution. |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Pakistan |
| Inaugural holder | Liaquat Ali Khan (1947–1951) |
| Formation | 14 August 1947; 78 years ago (1947-08-14) |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan |
| Salary | Rs. 24.12lakh (US$8,400), annual[a] |
| Website | pmo |
Theprime minister of Pakistan[b] is thehead of government of theIslamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister-led and appointedcabinet, with thepresident of Pakistan serving as the nominal head of executive andstate. The prime minister is often the leader of the party or the coalition with a majority in the lower house of thefederal parliament, theNational Assembly, where he serves asleader of the House. Prime minister holds office by virtue of their ability tocommand the confidence of the National Assembly. The prime minister is designated as the "chief executive of the Islamic Republic".
Pakistan's prime minister leads theexecutive branch of thefederal government, oversees thestate economy, leads theNational Assembly, heads theCouncil of Common Interests as well as theCabinet, and is charged with leading theNational Command Authority overPakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal.[5][6][7] This position places its holder in leadership of the nation and in control over all matters, bothinternal affairs andforeign policy.[8] The prime minister is elected by the members of the National Assembly and is therefore usually the leader of the majority party in theparliament. TheConstitution 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.[9]
Constitutionally, the prime minister serves as the chief adviser to thepresident of Pakistan on critical matters; and plays an influential role in appointment in each branch of themilitary leadership as well as ensuringcivilian control of the military throughchairman joint chiefs, although thisdoes not necessarily happen in tandem.[10][11] Prime ministerial powers havesignificantly grown with a delicate system ofcheck and balance by each branch.[12] 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, themilitary junta led by the president had the powers of the prime minister.[13]
The office of the prime minister was created on immediate effect after thepartition and theestablishment of Pakistan in 1947; the prime minister existed alongside thegovernor-general who was the representative of theBritish monarchy. Thefirst prime minister,Liaquat Ali Khan, exercised central executive powers until hisassassination in 1951.[14] Thepowers slowly began to be reduced as a result of constant intervention by the governor-general. Despite thefirst set of the Constitution giving central power in 1956, thenext six prime ministers were dismissed by the governor-general from 1951 till 1957. The first set of the Constitution had evolved the governor-general into thepresident of Pakistan whilst declaring the country an "Islamic republic".[15][16] In 1958,PresidentIskandar Mirza dismissed theseventh prime minister toimpose martial law in a mere two weeks, President Mirza was ousted byarmy chief GeneralAyub Khan who had for a brief period held the post of prime minister.
In 1962, thesecond set of the Constitution completely dissolved the office of prime minister as all powers were transferred to the president of Pakistan.[16][17] Criticism over thepresidency after thepresidential election held in 1965 over the centralizing of powers. After thegeneral elections held in 1970, the office was established withNurul Amin becoming the prime minister who was also thevice-president. Negotiations that fall apart betweenZulfikar Ali Bhutto,Mujibur Rehman, andYahya Khan that prompted toliberation movement in theEast Pakistan. WithIndia intervening in East Pakistan and Pakistan concedingdefeat to end thewar led to the collapse of thepresidential system in 1971.
As the comprehensiveConstitution reinstated in 1973, the post was reestablished with more central powers as the constitution provided aparliamentary system with President of Pakistan asfigurehead.[18] Amid agitation instigated by theright-wing alliance invited themilitary intervention in 1977 which suspended the post.
Thegeneral elections held in 1985 restored the post, withMuhammad Junejo becoming the prime minister. Later that year, the National Assembly passed the controversialeighth amendment to the Constitution, giving the president the power to dismiss the prime minister and the National Assembly without prior consultation.[19] Thegeneral elections in 1988 resulted in thePakistan Peoples Party'sBenazir Bhutto becoming thefirst woman prime minister elected in a Muslim country.[20]
From 1988 to 1993, the power struggle between the prime minister and presidency continued with the president dismissing theNational Assembly on three different occasions. At the1997 elections, thePML(N) secured atwo-thirds majority in the Parliament and drafted theXIII andXIV Amendments to reverse the eighth amendment to the Constitution; this allowedNawaz Sharif to centralize more executive powers.[21] After the draw down ofcivil-military relations in 1999,Chairman joint chiefs GeneralPervez Musharraf stageda coup d'état against the PML(N)'s government and held nationwide elections in2002.[22]
With no party gaining a majority, acoalition was formed with thePML(Q) – a breakaway of the PML(N) and a pro-Musharraf party – leading withMQM. After some political wrangling,Zafarullah Jamali became the prime minister, and passed theXVII amendment which partially restored the power of the president to dissolve the National Assembly, but made the dissolution subject to theSupreme Court of Pakistan's approval.[23]
Over the authority issues,[clarification needed] Prime MinisterJamali resigned in 2004 andShaukat Aziz was eventually appointed as prime minister, securing 151 out of 191 votes in the National Assembly.[24] The XVII amendment featured asemi-presidential system allowing the presidency to keep the interference[clarification needed]executive and thejudiciary.[23] Thegeneral elections in 2008 resulted in the PPP coming to power and supporting themovement to oust Pervez Musharraf.[25] A populistintellectual movement leading to the departure of Pervez Musharraf allowedAsif Zardari to become president. In 2010, theXVIII Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was passed to reverse the XVII amendment; it returned the country to being aparliamentary democraticrepublic. The XVIII Amendment removed all powers of the presidency to dissolve the Parliament unilaterally and sweep away the powers amassed by the former presidents Pervez Musharraf andZia-ul-Haq to maintain a delicatecheck and balance.[26]
Following acontempt of court case, theSupreme Court permanently disqualified Prime MinisterYousuf Raza Gillani.[27] Originally, the PPP nomination wasMakhdoom Shahbuddin,[28] but he was forced to withdraw after theANF issued non-bailablearrest warrants against him.[29]Raja Pervaiz Ashraf became the prime minister and remained in office until 2013.[12][29][30][31] Thegeneral 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 questioned for in extension due to his sons, 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 ministerwas designated chairman of the company, he had never drawn any salary from the company, however, the judges consulting Black's Law Dictionary chose to disqualify Nawaz Sharif for not paying taxes on an asset he never held but could have.[32][33]
On 18 August 2018, Imran Khan was sworn in as the country's 22nd prime minister.[34] On 10 April 2022, aconstitutional crisis culminated in Khan losing amotion 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.[35]
On 11 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.[36][37] Sharif served two years to fulfill Imran Khan's term until the2024 Pakistani General Election. The elections were originally meant to be conducted in 2023 but were delayed due apertaining legal issue betweenPTI andElection Commission of Pakistan.
On 3 March 2024,Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected for the second time as the country's 24th Prime Minister.[38][39] He won by majority in the National Assembly of Pakistan againstOmar Ayub Khan in a disputed elections.[40]
TheConstitution envisages a scheme of affairs in which thepresident of Pakistan is thehead of state who represents the "unity of the Republic." Thesystem of government in Pakistan is based oncodified constitution which sees the prime minister as "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 theConstitution of Pakistan, source[41]
The prime minister is also the chairman of theCouncil 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 theConstitution of Pakistan, source[42]
As in most of theparliamentary democracies, ahead of state's duties are mostly ceremonial. The prime minister of Pakistan is thehead of government and has the responsibility for executive power. With Pakistan following aparliamentary system of government, the Prime minister is generally the leader of a party (or coalition of parties) that has a majority in theNational Assembly —thelower house of theParliament of Pakistan. The prime minister, in common with all other ministers, has to be a member ofNational Assembly.[41]
The principal workplace of the prime minister is thePrime Minister's Office located in northeast Islamabad. Theofficial residence, known as Prime Minister Enclave, is near the Prime Minister's Office. The prime minister is thechief executive whoheads and exercises the authority of theGovernment of Pakistan. After obtaining avote of confidence, the prime minister is invited by the president to take theoath of office and form the government.[41] In practice, the prime minister nominates the members of theCabinet who supervise the important functions and ministries of the Government of Pakistan[41] and communicates to the president all decisions of the Cabinet relating to the administration of affairs of state and proposals for legislation.[43]
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 thePakistani 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.[7]
TheConstitution of Pakistan requires that the prime minister be a member of the National Assembly.[44] As well as this, one must:
The candidates for the prime minister are members of the National Assembly who were chosen throughdirect elections bypopular vote following campaigning on theparty platforms.[46] Usually, the leader of the majority party in theparliament retains the office of prime minister, and forms the government either bycoalition or bysimple majority.[47] The candidate must retain thevote of confidence of the members of the parliament before being invited by the president to form thegovernment.[41]
The prime minister can be removed before the expiry of the term through avote of no confidence in the parliament.[41] If the vote of no confidence is passed by theNational Assembly by a simple majority, the prime minister ceases to retain the office.[41] In the past, prime ministers (and their governments) have been dismissed by the president exercising theVIII Amendment to theConstitution of Pakistan (1985), but this was repealed by theXVIII Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan (2010).[48][49] 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.[50]
In 2012, theSupreme Court of Pakistan has ceased at leastone prime minister from retaining the office due tocontempt of court after retroactively disqualifying themembership of theparliament permanently.[51][52]
On 28 July 2017, theSupreme Court of Pakistan disqualified the prime ministerNawaz Sharif from retaining the office due to his failure in fulfilling the eligibility requirements as enshrined in Articles 62 of the Constitution. This was in the aftermath of the Supreme Court hearing regarding thePanama Papers Case. This also resulted in him being permanently disqualified frommembership of theparliament.[53]
The prime minister is elected by the National Assembly.[54] 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.
The prime minister is required to make and subscribe to, in the presence of thepresident, an oath or affirmation that they shall protect, preserve and defend the Constitution as follows:
I, ____________, do swear solemnly that l am aMuslim and believe in theUnity and Oneness of AlmightyAllah, theBooks of Allah, theHoly Qura'an being the last of them, theProphethood ofMuhammad (peace be upon him) as the last of the Prophets and that there can be no Prophet after him, theDay of Judgment, and all the requirements and teachings of theHoly Quran andSunnah:
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.
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