State Structure of Pakistan: Political, Administrative, Military & Judicial System

Consolidated reference note — current (2026) structure of the state, including the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments. Cross-links: syllabus points VI (Civil-Military Relations), XV (Evolution of Democratic System), XXVII (Recent Constitutional & Legal Debates).

At a Glance — 4 Pillars (memorize as P-A-M-J)

P — Political: elected President, PM & Cabinet, bicameral Parliament, 4 provincial governments, weak local government.
A — Administrative: permanent civil bureaucracy (CSS-recruited); territorial chain Province → Division → District → Tehsil/Taluka → Union Council.
M — Military: Army, Navy, Air Force; since Nov 2025 unified under one Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).
J — Judicial: since Nov 2025, a new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) sits above the Supreme Court for constitutional matters.
Core dynamic to remember: Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic on paper, but the military and superior judiciary have long acted as extra-parliamentary power centres alongside elected government — sharpened, not resolved, by the 2024–25 amendments.

1. Political Structure

Executive

President — ceremonial head of state.
- Elected for a 5-year term by an electoral college: National Assembly + Senate + 4 Provincial Assemblies.
- Acts on the advice of the PM in almost all matters.
- Current: Asif Ali Zardari.
- 27th Amendment gave the sitting president lifetime legal immunity for official acts.
Prime Minister — chief executive and head of government.
- Leads the party/coalition holding a National Assembly majority.
- Appoints the federal Cabinet.
- Current: Shehbaz Sharif (PML-N).
Federal Cabinet — Ministers + Ministers of State heading federal ministries/divisions; collectively responsible to the National Assembly.

Legislature — Bicameral Parliament (Majlis-e-Shoora)

House	Seats	Composition	Term
National Assembly	336	266 general (FPTP) + 60 reserved (women) + 10 reserved (non-Muslim minorities)	5 years, dissolvable
Senate	96	14 general seats per province (equal representation) + technocrat/ulema/women/minority seats, elected by provincial assemblies via single transferable vote	6 years, staggered (half retire every 3 years); permanent, non-dissolvable chamber

Speaker, National Assembly: Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Chairman, Senate: Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.
A bill needs passage in both houses (Senate has near-equal power on most legislation; Money Bills originate only in the NA) plus Presidential assent; a joint sitting resolves deadlock on some bills.
Why the Senate exists: gives small provinces (Balochistan, KP) parity with populous Punjab, balancing the population-weighted National Assembly.

Provincial Governments

Province	Governor (federal representative)	Chief Minister (elected head of govt)
Punjab	Sardar Saleem Haider Khan	Maryam Nawaz Sharif
Sindh	Kamran Tessori	Murad Ali Shah
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Faisal Karim Kundi	Sohail Afridi
Balochistan	Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail	Sarfraz Bugti
Gilgit-Baltistan (special status area, own governance order, not a full constitutional province)	—	Gulbar Khan (Chief Minister)