Pakistan Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

【 Area 】 796095 square kilometers (excluding the Pakistani controlled Kashmir region).

The population is 240 million. Pakistan is a multi-ethnic country, with Punjabi accounting for 63%, Sindh accounting for 18%, Pashtun accounting for 11%, and Baloch accounting for 4%. Urdu is the national language, with Urdu and English as the official languages. The main ethnic languages include Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, and Baloch. More than 95% of residents believe in Islam (the state religion), with a small number following Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and other religions.

Islamabad, the capital, has a population of 2.3 million in 2023. Located inland at an altitude of 503-610 meters, it belongs to subtropical monsoon climate with clear boundaries between dry and rainy seasons. The average annual precipitation is 1143 millimeters, with a maximum temperature of 47 ℃ and a minimum temperature of 0 ℃.

The current President Asif Ali Zardari assumed office on March 10, 2024. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif assumed office on March 4, 2024.

[Important Festival] National Day: March 23rd; Independence Day: August 14th.

【 Overview 】 Pakistan is located in the northwest of the South Asian subcontinent. It borders India to the east, China to the northeast, Afghanistan to the northwest, Iran to the west, and the Arabian Sea to the south. The coastline is 980 kilometers long. Except for the tropical climate in the south, the rest belongs to the subtropical climate. The southern region is humid and hot, influenced by the monsoon, with a longer rainy season; The northern region is dry and cold, with some areas covered in snow throughout the year. The annual average temperature is 27 ℃.

Pakistan was originally a part of British India. In 1858, it became a British colony along with India. In March 1940, the All India Muslim League passed a resolution to establish Pakistan. In June 1947, Britain announced the "Mountbatten Plan" and implemented the partition of India and Pakistan. On August 14th of the same year, Pakistan declared independence and became an autonomous territory of the Commonwealth, including East and West Pakistan. On March 23, 1956, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established and remained a member of the Commonwealth. It withdrew in 1972 and rejoined in 1989. In March 1971, East Pakistan declared the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and in December of the same year, Bangladesh officially gained independence.

After the establishment of Pakistan, three constitutions were promulgated in 1956, 1962, and 1973. In 1977, Zia Haq implemented military law and partially suspended the implementation of the constitution. In 1985, the 8th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, granting the President the power to dissolve the National Assembly and the Federal Cabinet, appoint and dismiss military leaders and judges. The 12th Amendment to the Constitution, passed in July 1991, grants the federal government the authority to establish special courts and appellate courts to combat crime and maintain social order. In April 1997, the Sharif government passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in parliament, revoking the President's power to dissolve the National Assembly and the Federal Cabinet, and returning the power to dissolve provincial assemblies and cabinets, appoint and dismiss governors, chief of staff and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Supreme Court judges to the Prime Minister. Subsequently, the Pakistani parliament passed the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, known as the "Anti Job hopping Act," aimed at strictly prohibiting members of parliament from defecting to the party.

After Musharraf came to power in 1999, he issued Temporary Constitution Order 1, announcing the suspension of the implementation of the constitution. In August 2002, Mu issued the "Legal Framework Order" (LFO), announcing the restoration of the 1973 Constitution and the 8th Amendment to the Hak era Constitution, which granted the President the power to dissolve the National Assembly, appoint the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. On December 29, 2003, the Pakistani parliament passed the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, which grants the President the power to dissolve parliament with the approval of the Supreme Court and to appoint and dismiss leaders of the three armed forces after consultation with the Prime Minister.

On April 8 and 15, 2010, the National Assembly and the Senate respectively passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, transferring some of the powers of the President to the Prime Minister and making adjustments on major sensitive issues related to central and local decentralization. On December 22, 2010, the Pakistani Parliament passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting the Prime Minister the decision-making power to appoint judges of the High Court and Supreme Court, with the final approval of the decision by the President. On February 20, 2012, the Pakistani Parliament passed the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished the power of the President to appoint a caretaker Prime Minister and instead appointed him through consultation with opposition leaders. The amendment also includes extending the term of office of the election committee.

In January 2015, the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan respectively passed the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, establishing a two-year military court to quickly try cases of terrorism and endangering national security. In June 2016, the 22nd Amendment was passed, which adjusted the qualifications for election committee members. In January 2017, the 23rd Amendment was passed, restoring the military court established by the 21st Amendment and extending it for two years.

The federal legislative body. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1947, it had a unicameral system for a long time. After the promulgation of the Constitution in 1973, a bicameral system was implemented, consisting of the National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). The National Assembly is elected by universal suffrage, and the Senate is elected by the Provincial Assembly and the National Assembly based on the principle of equal seats for each province.

The National Assembly has a total of 336 seats, of which 266 are universal suffrage seats. 60 seats are reserved for women, and 10 seats are reserved for non Muslims, distributed by political parties according to the proportion of votes received in the general election. The National Assembly has one Speaker and one Vice Speaker, with members serving for a term of five years. On March 1, 2024, Sardar Ayaz Sadik became the Speaker of the National Assembly. The Senate has 104 seats, with members serving for 6 years and half of them being re elected every 3 years. The Senate shall have one Chairman and one Vice Chairman each, with a term of three years. Due to the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province by the Pakistani government in May 2018, 8 seats in the district will be abolished in subsequent elections, and the total number of seats in the Senate will be reduced to 96. On April 9, 2024, Yusuf Raza Gilani became the Chairman of the Senate.

On March 11, 2024, the new cabinet members of Pakistan were sworn in. The Pakistani Cabinet currently has 18 federal ministers, 2 state ministers, and 3 special assistants to the Prime Minister.

There are four provinces in the country, namely Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh, as well as the Federal Capital Territory of Islamabad. Each province has established special zones, counties, townships, and village associations.

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial institution, with high courts established in each province and Islamabad, each composed of one Chief Justice and several judges. The current Chief Justice is Qazi Faez Isa. There shall be a Prosecutor General throughout the country and a Provincial Prosecutor General in each province. The current Attorney General, Mansoor Usman Awan.

Political parties implement a multi-party system. There are currently around 200 political parties with numerous factions. At present, the major national political parties mainly include:

(1) Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, also known as the "Muslim League (Sherif)". Founded in 1906, it was initially known as the All India Muslim League, and after the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, it was renamed the Pakistan Muslim League. The Party Constitution stipulates that political, social, and economic reforms must be implemented in Pakistan. The current party chairman is former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

(2) Pakistan People's Party: abbreviated as "People's Party". Established in December 1967, the main force is in Sindh Province, advocating for parliamentary democracy, freedom and equality, and economic privatization. The current party chairman is Bilawal Bhutto, the son of the late former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto.

(3) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: Established in 1996, the current party chairman is Gohar Ali Khan. The founder and former party chairman is Imran Khan, a well-known cricket star and former prime minister of Pakistan.

(4) The main political parties include: Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Jamaat-i-Islami, Muttahidah Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, etc.

[Important Person] President Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, served as the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. Previously held positions such as Minister of Investment, Minister of Environment, and Senator in the Federal Government of Pakistan. Appointed as Co Chairman of the People's Party in December 2007. His son Bilawal is currently the chairman of the People's Party.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the chairman of the Muslim League (Sharif faction). Elected as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly three times since 1988 and as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1990. Long term ruler of Punjab province, serving as the Chief Minister of the province three times. From March 2018 to May 2024, he served as the chairman of the Muslim League (Sharif faction). Prime Minister of Pakistan from April 2022 to August 2023. On March 4, 2024, he was sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Pakistan's economy is mainly based on agriculture, with agricultural output accounting for 24% of the country's gross domestic product. The main economic data for the fiscal year 2023-2024 (July 2023 to June 2024) are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 375 billion US dollars.

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 1680 US dollars.

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.38%.

Currency name: Pakistani Rupee.

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar is equivalent to 278 rupees (2024).

(Data source: World Bank data and Pakistan annual economic survey report)

The main mineral reserves include 605.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 184 million barrels of oil, 186 billion tons of coal, 430 million tons of iron, 74 million tons of bauxite, as well as a large amount of chromite, marble, and gemstones. The forest coverage rate is 4.8%. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, Pakistan will produce 25.7 million barrels of crude oil, approximately 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and an installed power generation capacity of 27.75 million kilowatts.

In the fiscal year 2023-2024, Pakistan's industrial output accounted for 13.6% of its gross domestic product, with an industrial growth rate of 1.21%. The largest industrial sector is cotton textile industry, while others include wool textile, sugar production, papermaking, tobacco, leather making, machine manufacturing, fertilizers, cement, electricity, natural gas, petroleum, etc.

In the fiscal year 2023-2024, Pakistan's agricultural growth rate is 6.25%, with planting output increasing by 11.03%, animal husbandry output increasing by 3.89%, forestry output increasing by 3.05%, and fishery output increasing by 0.81%. The main agricultural products include wheat, rice, corn, cotton, sugarcane, etc. The total arable land area in China is 57.68 million hectares, of which the actual cultivated area is 21.68 million hectares. The agricultural population accounts for approximately 37.4% of the labor force. The main crop yields in recent years are as follows (unit: 10000 tons):