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Until Oct., 1999, when the constitution was suspended, Pakistan was governed by the constitution of 1973 as amended in 1985, which provides for a federal parliamentary form of government. Constitutional government was restored in 2002, although Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in 1999, remained president and unilaterally amended (2002) the constitution. Under the constitution, there is a bicameral parliament, comprising a 342-member national assembly with 272 members directly elected from single-seat constituencies and the rest nominated by the parties, and a 100-member senate chosen mainly either by provincial assemblies or, in tribal areas, by popular election. The president is the head of state, and the prime minister the chief executive. Each province has its own legislative assembly whose members are elected by direct popular vote, a provincial governor appointed by the president, and a chief minister elected by the legislative assembly. There is an independent judicial branch of government.
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