How does the National Assembly of Pakistan work?
The National Assembly is the directly elected House of Parliament: 336 seats, a five-year term and the power to choose and remove the Prime Minister. Here is how its seats are filled and how a government is formed.
About this article: It was prepared with the help of AI tools from public sources and is being reviewed by our editors. If you spot an error, please let us know so that we can correct it.
The National Assembly is the directly elected House of Pakistan’s Parliament. It has 336 seats and a five-year term, and it holds three powers the Senate does not. It elects the Prime Minister, it can remove one, and it has the final word on the budget.
This explainer covers how the seats are filled, how a government is formed after an election, and what the Assembly does between elections.
How many seats there are and who fills them
Article 51 of the Constitution provides for 336 seats: 266 general seats, 60 reserved for women and 10 reserved for non-Muslims.
| Province or territory | General seats | Women’s seats | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balochistan | 16 | 4 | 20 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 45 | 10 | 55 |
| Punjab | 141 | 32 | 173 |
| Sindh | 61 | 14 | 75 |
| Federal Capital | 3 | – | 3 |
| Non-Muslim seats (whole country) | – | – | 10 |
| Total | 266 | 60 | 336 |
Seats are allocated to the provinces and the Federal Capital on the basis of population, using the last census officially published, and the Election Commission redraws constituencies after every such census (Article 51; Elections Act, section 17).
The Assembly had 342 seats until the Twenty-fifth Amendment of 2018 reduced the number to 336, the amendment notes in the official text of the Constitution show.
How members are elected
- General seats. Each of the 266 constituencies elects one member by direct vote (Article 51). The candidate with the most votes is elected (Elections Act, section 98).
- Women’s seats. Each province is a single constituency. Its women’s seats are shared among political parties in proportion to the general seats each party won in that province, and filled from priority lists the parties file with the Election Commission before the election (Article 51; Elections Act, section 104).
- Non-Muslim seats. The whole country is one constituency. The ten seats are shared among parties in proportion to the general seats each won nationally.
Independent winners may join a political party within three days of the official publication of the names of returned candidates. They then count towards that party’s total when reserved seats are shared out. Amendments enacted in August 2024 added that a party which does not file its list within the set period is not eligible for reserved seats later, and that an independent member’s declaration joining a party cannot be withdrawn (Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2024).
Any citizen aged 18 or over whose name is on the electoral roll can vote (Article 51). A candidate must be a citizen, at least 25 years old and enrolled as a voter (Article 62).
The five-year term and early dissolution
The Assembly’s term runs for five years from the day of its first meeting, and it stands dissolved when the term expires (Article 52).
It can end sooner. The President must dissolve the Assembly if the Prime Minister so advises, and if no order is made it stands dissolved 48 hours after the advice (Article 58). A Prime Minister who is facing notice of a no-confidence resolution cannot give that advice.
After a dissolution, a caretaker government takes charge and a general election follows: within 60 days if the term ran its course, or within 90 days if it was cut short (Article 224).
How a government is formed
- First meeting. The new Assembly meets on the 21st day after the general election, unless the President summons it sooner (Article 91). Members take an oath before they can sit or vote (Article 65).
- Speaker and Deputy Speaker. These are elected first, before any other business (Article 53), and by secret ballot (Article 226).
- Prime Minister. The Assembly then elects one of its Muslim members as Prime Minister, without debate. Votes are recorded in an open division. The winner needs a majority of the total membership, which is 169 votes. If no candidate reaches that, the two with the most votes go to a second poll, decided by a majority of the members present and voting (Article 91; Rules 32 to 35).
- Cabinet. The President appoints ministers on the Prime Minister’s advice from among the members of Parliament. The Cabinet, including ministers of state, may not exceed 11 per cent of Parliament’s total membership, and senators may not exceed one-fourth of the number of federal ministers (Article 92). Up to seven advisers may also be appointed (Article 93).
- Leader of the Opposition. After the Prime Minister’s election, the Speaker declares as Leader of the Opposition the opposition member with the greatest numerical support (Rule 39).
The 2024 timetable shows the sequence. The general election was held on 8 February. The National Assembly’s bulletins record that members took their oath on 29 February, the 21st day after polling, that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker were elected on 1 March, and that Shehbaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister on 3 March with 201 votes, against 92 for Omar Ayub Khan.
What the Assembly does between elections
Making laws. The Assembly shares law-making with the Senate. The steps are set out in how a bill becomes law.
Controlling money. No federal tax can be levied except under an Act of Parliament (Article 77). The annual budget is laid before the National Assembly, which alone votes on the government’s demands for grants (Articles 80 and 82), and Money Bills must start there (Article 73).
Holding the government to account. The first hour of a sitting is set aside for members’ questions, except on Tuesdays (Rule 69). Tuesdays are for private members’ business (Rule 51). There is a standing committee for each ministry, with up to 20 members, alongside the Public Accounts Committee (Rules 198 and 200). And the Assembly can remove a Prime Minister through a vote of no confidence.
Sitting requirements. The Constitution requires at least three sessions and 130 working days a year (Article 54). If it is pointed out that fewer than one-fourth of the members, which is 84, are present, the sitting must be suspended or adjourned (Article 55). Most decisions are taken by a majority of the members present and voting.
How it differs from the Senate
The Senate has 96 members, elected mainly by the provincial assemblies with equal seats for each province, and is never dissolved. Both Houses pass ordinary laws, and the Cabinet is collectively responsible to both. But only the National Assembly elects and removes the Prime Minister and decides Money Bills, and its larger numbers count when the two Houses vote together in a joint sitting.
This explainer is part of the series Pakistan Politics Explained.
Frequently asked questions
How many seats are needed to form a government?
A Prime Minister needs the votes of a majority of the total membership, 169 of 336, in the first poll. Those votes can come from one party or from several parties and independents voting together.
How long is the National Assembly’s term?
Five years from the day of its first meeting, unless it is dissolved sooner.
Can a member lose their seat during the term?
Yes. A member can resign (Article 64). The House can declare a seat vacant if a member is absent without leave for 40 consecutive sitting days (Article 64). A member can be disqualified on the grounds listed in Article 63, a question the Election Commission decides. And a member can be unseated for defection under Article 63A.
Is the Prime Minister elected by secret ballot?
No. Article 226 makes the elections of the Prime Minister and of chief ministers exceptions to the rule that elections under the Constitution are held by secret ballot.
Sources
- Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as amended up to the Twenty-seventh Amendment (Ministry of Law and Justice edition, published by the National Assembly and listed as amended to 21 November 2025): Articles 51 to 55, 58, 62 to 65, 73, 77, 80, 82, 91 to 93, 224 and 226.
- Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007 (as modified up to 18 August 2026): Rules 32 to 39, 51, 69, 198 and 200 and the Second Schedule.
- Election Commission of Pakistan, Election Laws: Elections Act, 2017 (text as modified up to 5 August 2023), sections 17, 98 and 104.
- Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2024 (Act No. XV of 2024), Gazette copy published by the National Assembly.
- Election Commission of Pakistan, Annual Report 2024 (date of the general election).
- National Assembly Secretariat, Bulletin of the Assembly: 29 February 2024, 1 March 2024 and 3 March 2024.
Sources accessed on 8 October 2026.
