Introduction & Basic Structure of the Constitution
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 is the supreme law of Pakistan.
- Enactment: Passed by the National Assembly on 10th April, 1973, published in the official Gazette on 12th April, 1973, and came into force on 14th August, 1973.
- Republic Day: Pakistan celebrates 23rd March as Republic/Pakistan Day, marking the 1940 Lahore Resolution and the 1956 Constitution — this is distinct from the 1973 Constitution's enforcement date.
- Size: The 1973 Constitution originally consisted of 280 Articles, divided into 12 Parts and further into Chapters.
- Schedules: It contains 5 (Fifth) Schedules, covering matters such as laws exempted from Article 8, election of the President, oaths of office, legislative lists, and remuneration of judges.
- Amendments: Being a rigid but amendable document, it has been amended many times (First Amendment in 1974, up to the Twenty-Seventh Amendment in 2025), unlike earlier Pakistani constitutions which were wholly replaced.