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The Constitution of the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan provides for a Federal Parliamentary
System of government, with President as the Head of
State and the popularly elected Prime Minister as Head
of government. The Federal Legislature is a bicameral
Majlis-e-Shoora
(Parliament), composed of the National
Assembly and the Senate. The Constitution
also provides for the President to address the two Houses
assembled together at the commencement of the first
session after General Elections.
National Assembly
The
National Assembly of Pakistan
is the country's sovereign legislative body. It embodies
the will of the people to let themselves be governed
under the democratic, multi-party Federal Parliamentary
System. The National
Assembly makes laws for the Federation in respect
of the powers enumerated in the Federal Legislative
list and also for subjects in the Concurrent List. Through
its debates, adjournment motion, question hour and Standing
Committees, the National Assembly keeps as check over
the Executive and ensures that the government functions
within the parameters set out in the Constitution
and does not violate the fundamental rights of citizens.
Only the National
Assembly, through its Public Accounts Committee,
scrutinizes public spending and exercises control of
expenditure incurred by the government.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a Federal State
comprising four provinces of Balochistan,
the North
West Frontier Province (NWFP) the Punjab
and Sindh;
Islamabad
is the Federal Capital with Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA). These federating units offer a lot of
diversity and variety in terms of languages, levels
of social and economic development, population density
and climatic conditions. The
Members of the National
Assembly are to be elected by direct and free vote
in accordance with law.
CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE
Article 50 of the Constitution
provides that the Parliament
of Pakistan shall consist of President and the two Houses
known as the National Assembly and the Senate. The National
Assembly has an edge over the Senate by legislating
exclusively on money matters. With exception to money
bills, however, both the Houses work together to carry
out the basic work of the Parliament, i.e. law making.
LEGISLATIVE
PROCEDURE
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