Country Focus 10 of 12
Country Focus Polity Polity & Governance

Pakistan is a Federal Republic of four provinces, and every Provincial Assembly elects the same number of senators

Article 1 of the Constitution provides that Pakistan shall be a Federal Republic to be known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The territories of Pakistan comprise the Provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, together with the Islamabad Capital Territory.
The Constitution refers to the Islamabad Capital Territory as the Federal Capital.
Seats in the National Assembly are allocated to each Province on the basis of population in accordance with the last preceding census officially published.
Members to fill the general seats of the National Assembly are elected by direct and free vote in accordance with law.
In the Senate, by contrast, the same number of members is elected by the members of each Provincial Assembly, by proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
The Senate shall not be subject to dissolution, and the term of its members shall be six years, with retirements staggered.

Number of provinces: four Federal Capital: Islamabad Capital Territory Basis of National Assembly seat allocation: the basis of population How Senate seats of a Province are filled: elected by the members of each Provincial Assembly Senate voting system: proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote Term of a Senate member: six years
Why it matters for exams: The contrast between a lower house allocated by population and an upper house in which every Provincial Assembly elects the same number of members is the comparison examiners draw between Pakistan's Senate and India's Rajya Sabha.
Kerala PSCUPSC
6 October 2026 Source: WIPO Lex - The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Updated 30 October 2026

In plain words

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — One of the four provinces of Pakistan, in the north-west of the country.

Provincial Assembly — The elected legislature of a province, whose own members vote in the Senate election for that province.

Single transferable vote — A system in which electors rank candidates and surplus or unused votes pass on, so seats track the strength of each group of voters.

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