When Pakistan came into being on 14 August 1947, it did not become a fully sovereign republic. Like India until 1950, it was a British dominion: Queen Elizabeth II (after 1952; George VI before her) was formally the head of state, represented in Karachi by a Governor-General, and the country was governed under the adapted Government of India Act 1935 rather than a constitution of its own.

The first Constituent Assembly, elected in 1947, was tasked with writing that constitution — but the job took nine years. The Objectives Resolution of 1949 (moved by Liaquat Ali Khan) set the Islamic and democratic direction, yet assassinations, dismissed assemblies and the bitter dispute over parity between East and West Pakistan kept delaying the draft. A first Constituent Assembly was dissolved by Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad in October 1954; a second was created in May 1955 and finally finished the job.

The constitution’s headline act was the name itself: the country’s official name became the “Islamic Republic of Pakistan” — the first time any state in the world used that title. Its key features:

• Parliamentary system with a prime minister as head of government and a ceremonial president as head of state.
• Unicameral legislature — a single National Assembly of 300 members, 150 from East Pakistan and 150 from West Pakistan (the parity principle).
• Muslim president — the head of state was required to be a Muslim; no law could be passed against the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.
• Objectives Resolution as preamble, embedding the Islamic-democratic vision of 1949.
• Federal structure with Islamic provisions, including an organisation for Islamic research and a foreign policy oriented toward good relations with Muslim countries.

Iskander Mirza — the last Governor-General — was sworn in as the first President of Pakistan on 23 March 1956. Chaudhry Muhammad Ali continued as prime minister until September 1956, when Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy took over.

The 1956 constitution survived only until 7 October 1958, when President Iskander Mirza abrogated it and imposed Pakistan’s first martial law (General Ayub Khan took over weeks later). Ayub’s 1962 constitution initially dropped “Islamic” from the country’s name, restoring it by amendment in 1963. The 1973 constitution — the one in force today — kept “Islamic Republic of Pakistan” as the official name, and every Pakistani passport, coin and official document has carried it since.

For the full story of the current constitution — all 280 articles and 27 amendments — see our Constitution of Pakistan 1973: The Complete Guide, including our explainers on Article 62 and Article 4.