Democracy in Pakistan

Politics in Pakistan refers to the ideologies and systems by which Pakistan was established in 1947. As envisaged by the nation's founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan is a nation-state, constitutionally a democratic parliamentary republic. The national cabinet, lead by the Prime Minister of Pakistan has executive power and the president is the head of state elected by the electoral college. Pakistan is one of the youngest democracies in the world, established in 2003. Pakistan's political system is based on an elected form of governance. The democratic elections held in 2008 were the first to conclude a 5-year term in the nation's political history. However, since the country's inception, the military has had disproportionate power over state affairs. Several military interventions have disrupted Pakistan's democracy. These interventions include takeovers by General Ayub Khan (1958-1969), General Yahya Khan (1969-1971), General Zia Ul Haque (1978-1988), and General Pervez Musharraf (2001-2008).