Forum Pakistan

The Government: The government's primary task is 'to aid and advise the President in the exercise of his functions' (Articles 91 and 1). The President appoints one of the members of the National A sembly, who must be a Muslim, as Prime Minister, if convinced that the deputy has the confidence of most members of the National Assembly. On the Prime Minister's advice, the President appoints members of the government; these may be chosen from the deputie of the National Assembly or senators, or they may come from outside the parliament. After this, the government must win a vote of confidence in the National Assembly. The number of ministers who are simultaneously senators must not exceed one-fourth of the total membership of the cabinet. Any minister not a member of the National Assembly must seek to be elected to that chamber within six months of appointment, otherwise they cease to be a member of the government. The government is collectively responsible to the National Assembly (Articles 91 and 4). The President dismisses ministers on the advice of the head of government. He also has the right to di miss the Prime Minister if the latter does not have the confidence of the majority of the National Assembly. To decide the issue, the President summons a session of the lower house (Articles 91 and 5). The members of the National Assembly may remove the Prime Minister. The removal must be supported by no less than a fifth of the Assembly's deputies, after which the question is put to a session of the chamber (Article 95).

In accordance with the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, the Prime Minister is obliged to present to the President information on the work of the government, its decisions, and proposed legislative initiatives. The President may demand that the cabinet should discuss any decision by its head or by any minister, if that decision was not already discussed by the cabinet (Article 46). The government's executive powers extend to all issues on which parliament may pass laws (Article 97). The cabinet of ministers may instruct a provincial government to perform certain functions in some. areas to which the federation's executive authority extends (Article 146). The cabinet has considerable power during emergency situations (Article 232).

The Prime Minister heads, ex officio, a number of important state institutions, such as the National Economic Council, the country's highest economic organ which works out the plans for economic development (Article 156). The Prime Minister may head the Council of Common Interests established to co-ordinate the interests of the Centre and the provinces, and interprovincial interests (Article 153).

The Government of Pakistan consists of federal ministers, state ministers, advisors, special assistants of the Prime Minister having the rank of federal ministers, and assistants of the Prime Minister having the rank of state ministers. Federal ministers form the nucleus of the government or the ministerial cabinet. State ministers are ranked lower than federal ministers. The Attorney-General, appointed by the President, is also a member of the government. The official principal duty of the Attorney-General is to advise the government on the legal aspects of its activities (Article 100). A there is no Deputy Prime Minister in Pakistan's government, these duties are fulfilled by the senior minister, when the Prime Minister is unable to perform them. The seniority of the members of government is determined by its head, the Prime Minister.
The principal Federal ministries in order of seniority, as of 2005, are as follows:

Ministry of Defence; Commerce; communications; Culture, sports and Youth Affairs; Defence production; Education; Environment; Food, Agriculture and Live tock; Foreign Affairs; Health; Housing and Works; Industries and Production & Special Initiatives; Information and Broadcasting; Information Technology; Interior; Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas; Labour, Manpower and Oversea Pakistanis; Law, Justice and Human Rights; Local Government and Rural Development; Textile Industry; Tourism; Narcotics Control; Parliamentary Affairs; Petroleum and Natural Resources; Population Welfare; Ports and Shipping; Privatisation and Investment; Railways; Religious Affairs & Zakat and Ushr; Science and Technology; Social Welfare and Special Education; States and Frontier Regions; and Water and Power. The ministries consist of departments and sectors; the staff of a ministry is headed by a Secretary or Chief Secretary.

Matters of prime importance for the state come within the exclusive jurisdiction of central government. Examples of such matters concern defence, external relations, currency circulation, foreign trade, revenue, planning and co-ordination, communications, and interprovincial trade. If an act of a provincial a sembly contravenes some law passed by parliament within its competence, exclusive or concurrent with the provinces, this act is regarded as null and void (Article 143). To regulate the relations between of central government and the provinces and the relations among the provinces, the Council of Common Interests has been established. It consists of Chief Ministers of the provinces and an equal number of members of the central government who are appointed by the Prime Minister; if the latter is a member of the council they its Chairman; in other cases the council is headed by one of the members of the central government (Article 153). Decisions of the Council of Common Interests are made by a majority vote. If the federal or any of the provincial governments are not satisfied with the Council's decision, the disputed issue is considered by a joint session of the two houses of parliament whose decision is final (Article 154, S 2,5). All the provinces of Pakistan are equally represented in the National Economic Council; with one representative from each province recommended by the Governor (see Article 156). The National Economic Council, which offers recommendations on the division of revenues from taxes between of central government and the provinces, on federal subsidies to the provinces, etc., consists of the Finance Minister of the federal government, the ministers of finances of the provinces, and persons appointed by the President after consultation with the Governors of provinces (Article 160).

PUBLICATIONS: 'The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan', Lahore, 1989.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Yuri Gankovsky, Y.N. Moskalenko, 'The Three Constitutions of Pakistan', Lahore, 1978.