President of Pakistan
The
President of Pakistan (
Sadr-e-Mamlikat or
صدرِ مملکت in
Urdu) is
Head of State of
Pakistan. Pakistan has a
semi-presidential system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by an
electoral college to serve a five-year term. The electoral college is comprised of the
Senate,
National Assembly and the provincial assemblies. The President may be elected but may not serve for more than two consecutive terms. The president may also be impeached and subsequently removed from office by a two-thirds vote by the
Parliament. The President must also be a Muslim.
At various times in history, changes in the
Constitution of Pakistan have altered the powers and privileges associated with the office of the President. The Constitution gives the President
reserve powers - subject to
Supreme Court approval or veto - to dissolve the
National Assembly of Pakistan, triggering new elections, and thereby to dismiss the
Prime Minister. The President also chairs the
National Security Council and appoints the heads of the
Army,
Navy and
Air Force.
In 1947,
Pakistan became a
dominion within the
British Commonwealth with the
British Monarch as head of state, represented by the
Governor-General of Pakistan. In 1956 Pakistan established its first
constitution and beame a Republic, and the positions of Queen and Governor-General were replaced by the President.
Pakistan's first president was
Iskander Mirza, who was also the last Governor General. In 1958, he abrogated the constitution and declared
martial law. A few weeks later, he was overthrown in a bloodless
coup d'état by General
Ayub Khan, who had declared himself president. The constitution was revised, and the president became the ruler of Pakistan. The constitution also stipulated that the president be elected by the people. Elections were held in 1963, and Khan defeated
Fatima Jinnah, sister of founder of Pakistan,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Ayub Khan continued as president until
March 25,
1969, when he passed the presidency to
Yahya Khan. Yahya Khan stepped down after the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto became the new president and presided over the formation of a new
constitution. This constitution was completed in 1973, and reduced the presidency to a
figurehead position, giving power to the
Prime Minister. Bhutto stepped down as President and became Prime Minister, symbolizing the transition. The President was henceforth elected by legislative assembly members, not by popular vote. Popular vote would be used to directly elect the members of the National Assembly, including the Prime Minister.
In 1978, Prime Minister Bhutto was toppled by General
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who declared himself President. The presidency again became the premier position in the Pakistani government. Zia introduced the
Eighth Amendment, which gave
reserve powers to the President's office. Zia died in 1988 and the Prime Minister's office regained leadership of the country. The Presidency retained its reserve powers until 1997, when the
Thirteenth Amendment was passed.
However, the 1999 coup of General
Pervez Musharraf brought executive powers back to the President's office. National and provincial elections were held in 2002. In December 2003, the
Seventeenth Amendment partially restored the President's reserve powers, but made the exercise of those powers subject to
Supreme Court approval or veto within 30 days. In January 2004, the
Electoral College gave Musharraf a
vote of confidence, as result of which he was (according to the Constitution) "deemed to be elected". Musharraf's term of office as President is set to end in 2007.
The head of state of Pakistan before 1956 was the British Monarch. For the Governors-General who represented them from 1947 to 1956, see Governor-General of Pakistan. | No. | Name | Took Office | Left Office! Political Party |
|---|
| 01 | Dr. Iskander Mirza | March 23, 1956 | October 27, 1958 | Republican Party |
| 02 | Muhammad Ayub Khan | October 27, 1958 | March 25, 1969 | Military |
| 03 | Yahya Khan | March 25, 1969 | December 20, 1971 | Military |
| 04 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | December 20, 1971 | August 13, 1973 | Pakistan People's Party |
| 05 | Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry | August 13, 1973 | September 16, 1978 | Pakistan People's Party |
| 06 | Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | September 16, 1978 | August 17 ,1988 | Military |
| 07 | Ghulam Ishaq Khan | August 17, 1988 | July 18, 1993 | No party |
| 08 | Wasim Sajjad | July 18, 1993 | November 14, 1993 | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| 09 | Farooq Leghari | November 14, 1993 | December 2, 1997 | Pakistan People's Party |
10[Interim] | Wasim Sajjad | December 2, 1997 | January 1, 1998 | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| 11 | Muhammad Rafiq Tarar | January 1, 1998 | June 20, 2001 | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| 12 | Pervez Musharraf | June 20, 2001 | In Office | Military |
 |
Flag of the President of Pakistan |
*
Pakistan*
Politics of Pakistan*
Prime Minister of Pakistan*
Finance Minister of Pakistan*
Line of Succession to President of Pakistan*
President of Pakistan: Official Website*
Government of Pakistan: Official Website*
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
