ashmir region
includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas

Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK; formerly West Pakistan)

Constitution: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977,
restored 30 December 1985

Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate
Pakistan's stature as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Pakistan Day (proclamation of the republic),
23 March (1956)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Legislature (Mijlis-e-Shoora)
consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or National Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Federal Islamic (Shariat) Court

Leaders:
Chief of State--President GHULAM ISHAQ Khan (since 13 December 1988);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Benazir BHUTTO (since 2 December 1988)

Political parties and leaders:
Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto;
Pakistan Muslim League (PML), former Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junejo;
PML is the main party in the anti-PPP Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA);
Muhajir Quami Movement, Altaf Hussain; Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Islam
(JUI), Fazlur Rahman; Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Qazi Hussain Ahmed;
Awami National Party (ANP), Khan Abdul Wali Khan

Suffrage: universal at age 21

Elections:
President--last held on 12 December 1988 (next to be held
December 1993); results--Ghulam Ishaq Khan was elected by the Federal
Legislature;

Senate--last held March 1988 (next to be held March 1990);
results--elected by provincial assemblies;
seats--(87 total) PML 84, PPP 2, independent 1;

National Assembly--last held on 16 November 1988 (next to be held
November 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(237 total) PPP 109, IJI 65, MQM 14, JUI 8, PAI 3, ANP 3, BNA 3,
others 3, independents 29

Communists: the Communist party is no longer outlawed and operates
openly

Other political or pressure groups: military remains dominant political
force; ulema (clergy), industrialists, and small merchants also influential

Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OIC,
SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Zulfikar ALI KHAN; Chancery at
2315 Massachuset