Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1973, which was subsequently amended. Following a military coup d'état in 1977, however, a system of martial law was put into effect, and most aspects of the 1973 constitution were suspended. In 1985 parliamentary government was reestablished, the constitution restored, and martial law ended. Legislation enacted in 1991 made Sharia, or Islamic law, the supreme law of the land.

                                 Executive
                        
                   Benazir BhuttoIn December 1988 Benazir Bhutto of Pakistanbecame
                        the first woman to be elected prime minister in a Muslim country. A
                        graduate of Radcliffe College (United States) and the University of
                        Oxford (England), Bhutto stepped in as head of the Pakistan People's
                        party (PPP) after the imprisonment of her father, the party's founder.
                        She won the 1988 national election as the candidate for thePPP,
                        but President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed her two years later,
                        claiming her administration was corrupt and incompetent. However,
                        Bhutto's successor, the conservative Nawaz Sharif, earned similar
                        criticism, and Bhutto was reelected in 1993.
 

According to the 1973 constitution, as amended, Pakistan's head of state is a president, elected to a five-year term by the legislature. The chief executive official is a prime minister, who is responsible to the legislature. The president has the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and to call new elections.

          Legislature
Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Federal Legislature. The National Assembly consists of 217 members elected directly by universal suffrage for terms of up to five years. The Senate, consisting of 87 members, is elected indirectly by the provincial legislatures; senators serve six-year terms.

            Judiciary
The highest court in Pakistan is the Supreme Court. The judicial system in each province is headed by a high court. There is also a federal Sharia Court, which administers Islamic law.

       Local Government
Under the 1973 constitution the four provinces of Pakistan, headed by governors appointed by the president, are subdivided into divisions, districts, and agencies. Political agents responsible to the federal government administer the tribal areas.

        Political Parties
Severely limited in July 1977 and banned outright in October 1979, political organizations were allowed to resume their activities in December 1985. The dominant political party after the elections of 1993 was the Pakistan People's party; the Pakistan Muslim League became the main opposition group.

Health and Welfare
Health services in Pakistan are limited by a lack of facilities. In the early 1990s the country had about 51,900 physicians and about 71,900 hospital beds. In 1976 an old-age pension system was inaugurated, but it covers relatively few Pakistanis.

             Defense
Military service in Pakistan is voluntary. In the early 1990s the country's armed forces had about 575,000 members, including 45,000 in the air force and 20,000 in the navy. Another 275,000 were in paramilitary units.

     Health and Welfare
Health services in Pakistan are limited by a lack of facilities. In the early 1990s the country had about 51,900 physicians and about 71,900 hospital beds. In 1976 an old-age pension system was inaugurated, but it covers relatively few Pakistanis.
                                                NATIONAL ANTHUM
                                                
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