A successful government depends on a harmonious system. There are different groups responsible for creating rules, enforcing them, and interpreting them. This promotes a sense of unity and equality among all parties involved.
Branches of Government
There are three branches of government, or organs of the state which are discussed below;
- Legislative
- Executive
- Judiciary
Legislative
The Legislature is the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. The Parliament meetings are held regularly at the Parliament House in Islamabad. The Parliament is made up of two legislative houses:
The chief function of the legislature is to formulate laws (either social legislation or any other legislation). Legislature passes new laws; and amends or repeals old ones. A law is first presented before the legislature (parliament) as a bill or legislative proposal. It goes through several stages of debate and deliberation in the legislature called the legislative process.
The legislature (parliament) includes the National Assembly and Senate. In case it is accepted by a simple majority of its members at every stage, it is considered as passed by it. Then it is placed before the President of Pakistan for his assent, and upon signing it becomes an act or law.
Under the Constitution of Pakistan, the President must give assent within 10 days; if he does not, the bill is deemed to have been assented to. In all democratic states today, the legislature has control over national finance; it has the power to grant money to the government, which cannot collect taxes without its previous approval.
The reason is that the legislature, as representatives of the people, is the custodian of their interest and public money. It supervises the revenue and expenditure of the government and reviews them by discussing and passing the national budget, presented in the legislature before the beginning of a new financial year.
The cabinet is responsible to the legislature. In any case, the legislature keeps a check on the work and policy of the cabinet of the government.
Executive
The Executive branch is responsible for running the state based on laws and policies set by the Legislature. The executive includes all officials of the state from the highest to the lowest, from the president down to a policeman or a Patwari who executes or enforces the law and administers the country.
In a narrow sense, it denotes the heads of executive departments who determine the policy of the government that is the president and minister or the cabinet. The Executives are answerable to the Parliament. The Executive is made up of:
- The Prime Minister
- Ministries
- Advisors
- The Cabinet
- Civil Service
The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is the head of government and the highest executive authority in Pakistan. He leads the federal cabinet and is responsible for setting the overall policy direction of the country. The Prime Minister is chosen through the National Assembly and must keep the confidence of the majority of its members to stay in office.
He has the power to appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers, oversees the Civil Service, and acts as the main link between the executive branch and Parliament.
Ministries
Ministries are the core administrative units of the federal government. Each ministry is headed by a federal minister who looks after a specific area of public policy such as finance, education, health, or defense. The ministry works to develop, implement, and monitor government policies and programs in its sector, working closely with the relevant civil service departments.
Every ministry is accountable to Parliament and must regularly report on its activities, budgets, and outcomes, which keeps the executive branch transparent and under democratic oversight.
Advisors
Advisors are senior experts personally appointed by the Prime Minister to offer specialized guidance in critical areas such as foreign affairs, economic policy, national security, and legal matters. Unlike cabinet ministers, Advisors do not necessarily hold a specific portfolio instead, they work in a consultative capacity, providing independent analysis and recommendations that help shape key executive decisions.
Their role is to bridge the gap between technical expertise and practical governance, helping the Prime Minister deal with complex challenges and ensuring that decisions across all sectors are well-informed.
The Cabinet
The Cabinet consists of senior government officials who are selected and led by the Prime Minister. It meets on a weekly basis, with the Prime Minister presiding over the sessions. The Cabinet Secretary serves as the principal coordinator of these meetings and is responsible for recording all Cabinet decisions.
The Cabinet is collectively responsible to Parliament, meaning that its decisions carry the full weight of official government policy. Some Cabinet members also serve in an advisory role to the Prime Minister.
Civil Service
The Civil Service of Pakistan is the permanent bureaucracy that keeps the machinery of the Government of Pakistan running day to day. It is widely regarded as the backbone of the state.
The Civil Service is headed by the Establishment Secretary, who reports directly to the Prime Minister who is, in turn, the final authority on all Civil Service matters. The Civil Service is also commonly known as the Central Superior Services (CSS).
It is responsible for;
- Managing all civilian services and bureaucratic operations across the country.
- It carries significant influence over defence, financial, internal, and foreign policies.
- It is structured into twelve occupational groups and services, each carrying out administrative, regulatory, and policy functions across different sectors of government.
- Entry into the Civil Service is highly competitive, with candidates required to pass the CSS Examination, which is conducted and supervised by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).
The executive performs the political function of formulation of law, while the administrators perform the administrative function of enforcing it. The executive sees that the laws are properly enforced but their actual enforcement in daily administration is the primary duty of public services.
The essential function of the executive is to maintain law and order. The executive has also a duty to defend the state against foreign aggression or internal revolt in order to preserve its integrity and security. The executive directly and actively participates in lawmaking.
The executive plays a vital role in the implementation of the law. All the social legislation that was passed in the past as well as in the present was implemented by the executive.
For example, the offender of the law is arrested by the police officers who bring the offender to the magistrate who makes a decision according to the situation. Thus the police department and magistrate who is the executive play their role in shaping “Social legislation”.
Judiciary
The judiciary is the 3rd branch of the government. The Judicial branch is responsible for the justice system and interprets the law in specific situations. It protects the rights and liberties of the citizens. It is made up of the nationwide network of District, Shariah, Anti-terrorism, Environmental courts, a High Court for each province and the Supreme Court of Pakistan; being the highest office of all.
The Supreme Court is headed by the Chief Justice with support from other senior Justices appointed by the President. Judges and lawyers play a great role in social legislation. For example, a child committed a crime at the age of 12 years. According to the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018 of Pakistan, the offender is classified as a “juvenile offender.”
He was arrested by police and was kept in a separate detention facility specified for juveniles. There are dedicated juvenile courts for these procedures. The defense lawyers present arguments and evidence on behalf of the accused, while the prosecution presents the case against the accused. Finally, judges deliver a verdict based on the evidence, applicable law, and principles of justice.
When a case is brought before a court, its duty is first to find the facts, then to discover the law applicable to the case, and pass a judgment according to it. Thus the judiciary applies the laws, ascertains and decides rights, punishes crimes, administers justice, and protects the innocent from injury and usurpation.
Sometimes the law is not clear, either because the lawmakers did not foresee the circumstances of the case, the wording of the statute is ambiguous, or because two or more laws applicable to the case are in conflict. In deciding such cases the judges have some discretion in interpreting laws and deciding the case in the light of principles of justice, equity, and commonsense.
In this way, he not merely applies a law but even makes it. Such decisions become precedents for other judges who have to decide similar cases later on.
Accountability among the Branches of Government
The institutional framework through which each branch holds the others answerable
Branches of Government | Accountability of the Judicial Branch | Accountability of the Legislative Branch |
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Executive Branch The President and Cabinet implement laws |
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Accountability of the Executive Branch | Accountability of the Judicial Branch | |
Legislative Branch Parliament makes laws |
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Accountability of the Legislative Branch | Accountability of the Executive Branch | |
Judicial Branch The Courts interpret and apply laws |
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