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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Pakistan
Index
Government: Has shifted among various forms of
parliamentary, military, and presidential governments in
pursuit
of political stability. The 1973 constitution, as amended
in
1985, provides for parliamentary system with president as
head of
state and popularly elected prime minister as head of
government.
Bicameral legislature, Majlis-i-Shoora (Council of
Advisors),
consists of Senate (upper house) and National Assembly
(lower
house).
Politics: Return of democracy and open political
debate
after death of General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq in 1988;
politics
characterized by varied and volatile mix of ethnic, and
regional
alliances. Provincialism and ethnic rivalries continue to
impede
progress toward national integration. Major political
parties
include Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim
League
(Nawaz Sharif faction), Muhajir Qaumi Mahaz (MQM), Awami
National
Party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Jamiat-ul-Ulama-i-Islam
(JUI),
Jamiat-ul-Ulama-e-Pakistan (JUP), and Solidarity Movement
(Tehrik-i-Istiqlal).
Judicial System: Supreme Court, provincial high
courts,
and other lesser courts exercise civil and criminal
jurisdiction.
Federal Shariat Court decides if a civil law is repugnant
to
injunctions of Islam.
Administrative Divisions: Four
provinces--Balochistan,
North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh; one
territory--Federally Administered Tribal Areas; one
capital
territory--Islamabad Capital Territory; and Pakistaniadministered portion of disputed Jammu and Kashmir
region--Azad
(Free) Kashmir and the Northern Areas.
Foreign Relations: Member of United Nations,
Commonwealth of Nations, Economic Cooperation
Organization, South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and numerous
other
international organizations. Relations with United States
historically close but turbulent. Acrimonious relations
with
India and fallout from Soviet occupation of Afghanistan
(1979-89)
have been defining factors in recent foreign policy.
Data as of April 1994
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