Majlis-e-Shoora
Encyclopedia
The Parliament of Pakistan, officially termed the Majlis-e-Shoora ; is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan
. It is a bicameral
federal
legislature
that consists of the Senate
and the National Assembly
, the upper and lower houses, respectively. According to the constitution
, the President of Pakistan
is also a component of the Parliament.
The Parliament meets at the Parliament House building in Islamabad, where debating chambers for both houses are present.
of the parliament. The National Assembly has 342 seats, 272 of which are directly elected, 60 are reserved for women and a further 10 for religious minorities.
of parliament, with a constitutionally mandated strength of 104 members, of which 17 are reserved for women and 4 for religious minorities. According to the Constitution
, the President cannot dissolve the Senate. Members of the Senate are elected by the Provincial Assemblies and serve for a period of six years.
, uses the spelling Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).
Majlis-i-Shoora, Majlis-e-Shura, and Majlis-i-Shura are also valid transliteration
s from the Urdu
spelling.
. It was in this venue that the Objectives Resolution, which now serves as the grund norm of Pakistan, was passed. In 1956, the first Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was adopted in Karachi at the same Sindh Assembly building which also passed as the Parliament of Pakistan.
After the adoption of the Second Constitution of 1962
, Parliament sessions were arranged both at Dhaka
and a newly constructed building (Ayub Hall) at Rawalpindi
. The Parliament was uni-cameral. At the first session of the Parliament at the Ayub Hall, the Martial Law, imposed in 1958, was revoked. Later, in October, 1966, the Parliament was shifted to Dhaka.
From 1972 onward, the State Bank auditorium
in Islamabad
functioned as the National Assembly of Pakistan. The Interim Constitution of Pakistan was adopted here in April, 1972. It was here that the first bi-cameral legislature of Pakistan was also born after the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was adopted in 1973. It was again here that the Martial Law, imposed in July, 1977, was revoked on December 30, 1985.
The Parliament - the Senate
and the National Assembly - have acquired a permanent abode in the present Parliament House, which was inaugurated on May 28, 1986. The Hall was renovated on the orders of the Speaker and inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan
on 3 November 1996.
Seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is a bicameral
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
federal
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
that consists of the Senate
Senate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
and the National Assembly
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
, the upper and lower houses, respectively. According to the constitution
Constitution of Pakistan
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the supreme law of Pakistan. Known as the Constitution of 1973, it was drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and, following additions by the opposition parties, was approved by the legislative assembly on April 10, 1973...
, the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
is also a component of the Parliament.
The Parliament meets at the Parliament House building in Islamabad, where debating chambers for both houses are present.
National Assembly
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower houseLower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of the parliament. The National Assembly has 342 seats, 272 of which are directly elected, 60 are reserved for women and a further 10 for religious minorities.
Senate
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper houseUpper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of parliament, with a constitutionally mandated strength of 104 members, of which 17 are reserved for women and 4 for religious minorities. According to the Constitution
Constitution of Pakistan
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the supreme law of Pakistan. Known as the Constitution of 1973, it was drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and, following additions by the opposition parties, was approved by the legislative assembly on April 10, 1973...
, the President cannot dissolve the Senate. Members of the Senate are elected by the Provincial Assemblies and serve for a period of six years.
Variant spellings
The Constitution, which is written in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, uses the spelling Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).
Majlis-i-Shoora, Majlis-e-Shura, and Majlis-i-Shura are also valid transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
s from the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
spelling.
Parliament House Building
The Parliament of Pakistan - viz the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan - met on August 10, 1947 in the old Sindh Assembly Building at KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. It was in this venue that the Objectives Resolution, which now serves as the grund norm of Pakistan, was passed. In 1956, the first Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was adopted in Karachi at the same Sindh Assembly building which also passed as the Parliament of Pakistan.
After the adoption of the Second Constitution of 1962
Constitution of Pakistan
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the supreme law of Pakistan. Known as the Constitution of 1973, it was drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and, following additions by the opposition parties, was approved by the legislative assembly on April 10, 1973...
, Parliament sessions were arranged both at Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and a newly constructed building (Ayub Hall) at Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. The Parliament was uni-cameral. At the first session of the Parliament at the Ayub Hall, the Martial Law, imposed in 1958, was revoked. Later, in October, 1966, the Parliament was shifted to Dhaka.
From 1972 onward, the State Bank auditorium
State Bank of Pakistan
The State Bank of Pakistan is the central bank of Pakistan. While its constitution, as originally laid down in the State Bank of Pakistan Order 1948, remained basically unchanged until January 1, 1974, when the bank was nationalized, the scope of its functions was considerably enlarged...
in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
functioned as the National Assembly of Pakistan. The Interim Constitution of Pakistan was adopted here in April, 1972. It was here that the first bi-cameral legislature of Pakistan was also born after the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was adopted in 1973. It was again here that the Martial Law, imposed in July, 1977, was revoked on December 30, 1985.
The Parliament - the Senate
Senate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
and the National Assembly - have acquired a permanent abode in the present Parliament House, which was inaugurated on May 28, 1986. The Hall was renovated on the orders of the Speaker and inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
on 3 November 1996.
2008-present
Seats in the Senate of PakistanSenate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
| Party | Number |
|---|---|
| Pakistan Peoples Party Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan... |
27 |
| Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections.... |
21 |
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is a political party in Pakistan. It formed a combined government in national elections in 2002 and 2008... |
10 |
| Pakistan Muslim League (N) Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism... |
7 |
| Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh... |
6 |
| Awami National Party Awami National Party The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International... |
6 |
| FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs... |
8 |
| Independents | 4 |
| Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan... |
3 |
| Balochistan National Party (Awami) Balochistan National Party The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan... |
2 |
| National Party National Party (Pakistan) National Party is a democratic, centre-left Baloch nationalist political party. It is one of the largest Baloch nationalist parties active in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan along with Balochistan National Party... |
2 |
| Pakistan Muslim League (F) Pakistan Muslim League (F) The Pakistan Muslim League is a political party in Pakistan. It is one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League. The letter 'F' in its name stands for functional. It is primarily associated with the Sindhi religious leader Pir Pagara... |
1 |
| Jamhoori Watan Party Jamhoori Watan Party The Jamhoori Wattan Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan. In legislative elections, held on 20 October 2002, the party won 0.3 % of the popular vote and 1 out of 272 elected members.... |
1 |
| Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao) | 1 |
| Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party / ) is a Pashtun democratic political party in Pakistan. The moto of PkMAP is to unite Pushtuns of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan.Mahmood Khan Achakzai is the current party chairman... |
1 |
| Total | 100 |
Seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
| Parties | Votes | % | Elected seats | Reserved seats (Women) | Reserved seats (Minorities/Non-Muslims) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Peoples Party Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan... |
10,606,486 | 30.6% | 94 | 23 | 4 | 130 |
| Pakistan Muslim League (N) Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism... |
6,781,445 | 19.6% | 71 | 17 | 3 | 95 |
| Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections.... |
7,989,817 | 23.0% | 42 | 10 | 2 | 55 |
| Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh... |
2,507,813 | 7.4% | 19 | 5 | 1 | 26 |
| Awami National Party Awami National Party The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International... |
700,479 | 2.0% | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal is a coalition of Islamist parties that was formed in 2002 to electorally challenge the Pakistan Parliament's incumbent parties...
Note: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan... , Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan The Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan is a political party in Pakistan. It is part of the Islamic Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, that won at the last legislative elections, 20 October 2002, 11.3 of the popular vote and 53 out of 272 elected members.This party belongs to the Sunni current, which in... , Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan and Jamiat Ahle Hadith Jamiat Ahle Hadith Jamiat Ahle Hadith is a religio-political party in Pakistan promoting the Ahle Hadees religious movement. It is part of the Islamic fundamentalist Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, that won at the last legislative elections, 20 October 2002 with 11.3 percent of the popular vote... did not participate. |
772,798 | 2.2% | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Pakistan Muslim League (F) Pakistan Muslim League (F) The Pakistan Muslim League is a political party in Pakistan. It is one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League. The letter 'F' in its name stands for functional. It is primarily associated with the Sindhi religious leader Pir Pagara... |
4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao) | 140,707 | 0.4% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| National Peoples Party National Peoples Party The National Peoples Party is a political party in Pakistan most active in the province of Sindh and southern parts of Punjab. It was founded in 1986 by Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi after falling out with Benazir Bhutto and leaving her Pakistan Peoples Party.In the 2008 Pakistani general elections the... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Balochistan National Party (Awami) Balochistan National Party The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Independents | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| Total | 34,665,978 | 100% | 266 | 60 | 10 | 336 |
| Source: Election Commission of Pakistan, Adam Carr's Electoral Archive | ||||||