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Part III: The Federation of Pakistan

Chapter 1: The President

41 The President.
(1) There shall be a President of Pakistan who shall be the Head of State and shall represent the unity of the Republic.
 
(2) A person shall not be qualified for election as President unless he is a Muslim of not less than forty-five years of age and is qualified to be elected as member of the National Assembly.
 
 49[
(3) The President  50[] 50 shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule by the members of an electoral college consisting of:
(a) the members of both Houses; and
(b) the members of the Provincial Assemblies.
 
] 49
(4) Election to the office of President shall be held not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the President in office:
Provided that, if the election cannot be held within the period aforesaid because the National Assembly is dissolved, it shall be held within thirty days of the general election to the Assembly.
 
(5) An election to fill a vacancy in the office of President shall be held not later than thirty days from the occurrence of the vacancy:
Provided that, if the election cannot be held within the period aforesaid because the National Assembly is dissolved, it shall be held within thirty days of the general election to the Assembly.
 
(6) The validity of the election of the President shall not be called in question by or before any court or other authority.
 
 51[] 51
 
42 Oath of President.
Before entering upon office, the President shall make before the Chief Justice of Pakistan oath in the form set out in the Third Schedule.
 
43 Conditions of President's office.
(1) The President shall not hold any office of profit in the service of Pakistan or occupy any other position carrying the right to remuneration for the rendering of services.
 
(2) The President shall not be a candidate for election as a member of  56[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] 56 or a Provincial Assembly; and, if a member of  57[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] 57 or a Provincial Assembly is elected as President, his seat in  58[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] 58 or, as the case may be, the Provincial Assembly shall become vacant on the day he enters upon his office.
 
 
44 Term of office of President.
(1) Subject to the Constitution, the President shall hold office for a term of five years from the day he enters upon his office:
Provided that the President shall, notwithstanding the expiration of his term, continue to hold office until his successor enters upon his office.
 
(2) Subject to the Constitution, a person holding office as President shall be eligible for re-election to that office, but no person shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms.
 
(3) The President may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, resign his office.
 
 
45 President's power to grant pardon, etc.
The President shall have power to grant pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal or other authority.
 
 59[
46. President to be kept informed:
The Prime Minister shall keep the President informed on all matters of internal and foreign policy and on all legislative proposals the Federal Government intends to bring before Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).
 
] 59
47 Removal  61[or impeachment] 61 of President.
 62[
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, the President may, in accordance with the provisions of this Article, be removed from office on the ground of physical or mental incapacity or impeached on a charge of violating the Constitution or gross misconduct.
 
(2) Not less than one-half of the total membership of either House may give to the Speaker of the National Assembly or, as the case may be, the Chairman written notice of its intention to move a resolution for the removal of, or, as the case may be, to impeach, the President; and such notice shall set out the particulars of his incapacity or of the charge against him.
 
] 62
(3) If a notice under clause (2) is received by the Chairman, he shall transmit it forthwith to the Speaker.
 
(4) The Speaker shall, within three days of the receipt of a notice under clause (2) or clause (3), cause a copy of the notice to be transmitted to the President.
 
(5) The Speaker shall summon the two Houses to meet in a joint sitting not earlier than seven days and not later than fourteen days after the receipt of the notice by him.
 
(6) The joint sitting may investigate or cause to be investigated the ground or the charge upon which the notice is founded.
 
(7) The President shall have the right to appear and be represented during the investigation, if any, and before the joint sitting.
 
(8) If, after consideration of the result of the investigation, if any, a resolution is passed at the joint sitting by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of  63[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] 63 declaring that the President is unfit to hold the office due to incapacity or is guilty of violating the Constitution or of gross misconduct, the President shall cease to hold office immediately on the passing of the resolution.
 
 
 64[
48 President to act on advice, etc.
(1) In the exercise of his functions, the President shall act  65[on and] 65 in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet  66[or the Prime Minister] 66:
 67[Provided that  68[after fifteen days] 68 the President may require the Cabinet or as the case may be, the Prime Minister to reconsider such advice, either generally or otherwise, and the President shall  69[, within ten days, ] 69 act in accordance with the advice tendered after such reconsideration.] 67
 
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (1), the President shall act in his discretion in respect of any matter in respect of which he is empowered by the Constitution to do so  70[and the validity of anything done by the President in his discretion shall not be called in question on any ground whatsoever] 70.
 
 71[] 71 72[
(4) The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered to the President by the Cabinet, or the Prime Minister, shall not be inquired into in, or by, any court, tribunal or other authority.
 
] 72 73[
(5) Where the President dissolves the National Assembly, notwithstanding anything contained in clause (1), he shall-
(a) appoint a date, not later than ninety days from the date of the dissolution, for the holding of a general election to the Assembly; and
(b) appoint a care-taker Cabinet  74[in accordance with the provisions of Article 224 or, as the case may be, Article 224-A] 74.
 
] 73 76[
(6) If at any time the Prime Minister considers it necessary to hold a referendum on any matter of national importance, he may refer the matter to a joint sitting of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and if it is approved in a joint sitting, the Prime Minister may cause such matter to be referred to a referendum in the form of a question that is capable of being answered by either "Yes" or "No".
 
] 76
(7) An act of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may lay down the procedure for the holding of a referendum and the compiling and consolidation of the result of a referendum.
 
 
] 64
49 Chairman or Speaker to act as, or perform functions of, President.
(1) If the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death, resignation or removal of the President the Chairman or, if he is unable to perform the functions of the office of President, the Speaker of the National Assembly shall act as President until a President is elected in accordance with clause (3) of Article 41.
 
(2) When the President, by reason of absence from Pakistan or any other cause, is unable to perform his functions, the Chairman or, if he too is absent or unable to perform the functions of the office of President, the Speaker of the National Assembly shall perform the functions of President until the President returns to Pakistan or, as the case may be, resumes his functions.
 
 

Notes

49   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 6(1) (with effect from March 2, 1985) for :
(3) The President shall be elected by the members of Parliament in joint sitting in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule.
 
50   The following was omitted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 13(i) (with effect from April 19, 2010) : "to be elected after the expiration of the term specified in clause (7)".
51   The following was omitted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 13(ii) (with effect from April 19, 2010) : :
 52[
(7) The Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan-
(a) shall relinquish the office of Chief Executive on such day as he may determine in accordance with the judgement of the Supreme Court of Pakistan of the 12th May, 2000; and
(b) having received the democratic mandate to serve the nation as President of Pakistan for a period of five years shall, on relinquishing the office of the Chief Executive, notwithstanding anything contained in this Article or Article 43 or any other provision of the Constitution or any other law for the time being in force, assume the office of President of Pakistan forthwith and shall hold office for a term of five years under the Constitution, and Article 44 and other provisions of the Constitution shall apply accordingly.
 54[Provided that paragraph (d) of clause (1) of Article 63 shall become operative on and from the 31st day of December, 2004.] 54
 
] 52 55[
(8) Without prejudice to the provisions of clause (7), any member or members of a House of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or of a Provincial Assembly, individually or jointly, may, not later than thirty days from the commencement of the Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 2003, move a resolution for vote of confidence for further affirmation of the President in office by majority of the members present and voting, by division or any other method as prescribed in the rules made by the Federal Government under clause (9), of the electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and the Provincial Assemblies, in a special session of each House of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and of each Provincial Assembly summoned for the purpose, and the vote of confidence having been passed, the President, notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution or judgment of any court, shall be deemed to be elected to hold office for a term of five years under the Constitution, and the same shall not be called in question in any court or forum on any ground whatsoever.
 
(9) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution or any other law for the time being in force, the proceedings for the vote of confidence referred to in clause (8) shall be regulated and conducted by the Chief Election Commissioner in accordance with such procedure and the votes shall be counted in such manner as may be prescribed by the rules framed by the Federal Government:
Provided that clauses (8) and (9) shall be valid only for the forthcoming vote of confidence for the current term of the President in office.
 
] 55
52   Substituted by Legal Framework Order, 2002 (Chief Executive's Order No. 24 of 2002), Article 3(1), Sch. item 2 (with effect from August 21, 2002) for :
 53[
(7) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article or Article 43, or any other Article of the Constitution or any other law, General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, in consequence of the result of the referendum held on the nineteenth day of December 1984, shall become the President of Pakistan on the day of the first meeting of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting summoned after the elections to the Houses of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and shall hold office for a term of five years from that day; and Article 44 and other provisions of the Constitution shall apply accordingly.
 
] 53
53   Inserted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 6(2) (with effect from March 2, 1985).
54   Inserted by Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 2003 (3 of 2003), Article 2(1) (with effect from December 31, 2003).
55   Inserted by Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 2003 (3 of 2003), Article 2(2) (with effect from December 31, 2003).
56   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 1 (with effect from March 2, 1985) for "Parliament".
57   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 1 (with effect from March 2, 1985) for "Parliament".
58   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 1 (with effect from March 2, 1985) for "Parliament".
59   Substituted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 14 (with effect from April 19, 2010) for :
 60[
46 Duties of Prime Minister in relation to President.
It shall be the duty of the Prime Minister:
(a) to communicate to the President all decisions of the Cabinet relating to the administration of the affairs of the Federation and proposals for legislation;
(b) to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the Federation and proposals for legislation as the President may call for; and
(c) if the President so requires, to submit for the consideration of the Cabinet any matter on which a decision has been taken by the Prime Minister or a Minister but which has not been considered by the Cabinet.
 
] 60
60   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Art 2 and Sched. item 7 (with effect from March 2, 1985) for :
46
The Prime Minister shall keep the President informed on matters of internal and foreign policy and on all legislative proposals the Federal Government intends to bring before Parliament.
 
61   Inserted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Art 2, Sch. item 8(1) (with effect from March 2, 1985).
62   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 8(2) (with effect from March 2, 1985) for :
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, the President may be removed from office in accordance with the provisions of this Article on the ground of physical or mental incapacity or on a charge of violating the Constitution or gross misconduct.
 
(2) Not less than one-half of the total membership of either House may give to the Speaker of the National Assembly or, as the case may be, the Chairman written notice of its intention to move a resolution for the removal of the President; and such notice shall set out the particulars of his incapacity or of the charge against him.
 
63   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 1 (with effect from March 2, 1985) for "Parliament".
64   Substituted by Revival of Constitution of 1973 Order, 1985 (President's Order No. 14 of 1985), Sch. item 9 (with effect from March 2, 1985) for :
48
(1) In the performance of his functions, the President shall act on and in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister and such advice shall be binding on him.
 
(2) The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered to the President by the Prime Minister shall not be inquired into in any court.
 
(3) Save as otherwise provided in any rules made under Article 99, the orders of the President shall require for their validity the counter-signature of the Prime Minister.
 
 
65   Inserted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 15(i)(a) (with effect from April 19, 2010).
66   Substituted by Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1985 (18 of 1985), Section 2(a)(i) (with effect from November 9, 1985) for "the Prime Minister or appropriate Minister".
67   Substituted by Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1985 (18 of 1985), Section 2(a)(ii) (with effect from November 9, 1985) for :
Provided that the President may require the Cabinet to reconsider or consider such advice, as the case may be either generally or otherwise, and the President shall act in accordance with the advice tendered after such reconsideration or consideration.
68   Inserted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 15(i)(b) (with effect from April 19, 2010).
69   Inserted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 15(i)(b) (with effect from April 19, 2010).
70   Inserted by Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1985 (18 of 1985), Section 2(b) (with effect from November 9, 1985).
71   The following was omitted by Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1985 (18 of 1985), Section 2(c) (with effect from November 9, 1985) : :
(3) If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter in respect of which the President is by the Constitution empowered to act in his discretion, the decision of the President in his discretion shall be final, and the validity of anything done by the President shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in his discretion.
 
72   Substituted by Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2024 (26 of 2024), Section 4 (with effect from October 21, 2024) for :
(4) The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered to the President by the Cabinet, the Prime Minister, a Minister or Minister of State shall not be inquired into in, or by, any court, tribunal or other authority.
 
73   Substituted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 15(ii) (with effect from April 19, 2010) for :
(5) Where the President dissolves the National Assembly, he shall, in his discretion:-
(a) appoint a date, not later than  75[ninety] 75 days from the date of the dissolution, for the holding of a general election to the Assembly; and
(b) appoint a care-taker Cabinet.
 
74   Inserted by Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Act, 2012, Section 2 (with effect from February 28, 2012).
75   Substituted by Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1985 (18 of 1985), Section 2(d) (with effect from November 9, 1985) for "one hundred".
76   Substituted by Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, Sect. 15(iii) (with effect from April 19, 2010) for :
(6) If, at any time, the President, in his discretion, or on the advice of the Prime Minister, considers that it is desirable that any matter of national importance should be referred to a referendum, the President may cause the matter to be referred to a referendum in the form of a question that is capable of being answered either by "Yes" or "No".
 
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