| The Constitution of Pakistan |
Orders Affecting the Constitution (1999-2002) |
On October 12, 1999, the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was removed from power by the Armed Forces led by General Pervez Musharraf.
The Constitution was held "in abeyance" from October 12, 1999. A Provisional Constitution Order was issued on October 15, 1999 and remained in effect until the Constitution was restored.
| General Musharraf's Addresses to the Nation
October 13, 1999 October 17, 1999 |
Proclamation
of Emergency
Provisional Constitution Order No. 1 of 1999 |
Other Orders issued after October 12, 1999
|
Amendments were made to the Constitution by the Legal Framework Order, 2002 (issues on August 21, 2002) prior to the holding of elections and the restoration of the Constitution. (The validity of this LFO was a source of major debate. On December 31, 2003, the Seventeenth Amendment gave implicit parliamentary approval to the LFO.)
The Constitution was restored in phases on November 15, 2002, November 24, 2002, December 31, 2002 and March 12, 2003.
Elections to the Provincial Assemblies and National Assembly were held on October 10, 2002, and elections to the Senate were held on February 24, 2003.
On December 31, 2003, the Seventeenth Amendment Bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament and received the assent of the President. This Bill appears to have resolved the debate over the validity of the Legal Framework Order enacted by General Pervez Musharraf in 2002. The Bill asserts validity of the LFO, but also further amends the Constitution with the effect of modifying certain provisions of the LFO.