The Constitution of PakiStan

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261. Person acting in office not to be regarded as Successor to pervious occupant of office, etc.
For the purposes of the Constitution, a person who acts in an office shall not be regarded as the successor to the person who held that office before him or as the predecessor to the person who holds that office after him.

262. Gregorian calendar to be used
For the purpose of the Constitution, periods of time shall be reckoned according to the Gregorian calendar.

263. Gender and number
In the Constitution,-
(a) words importing the masculine gender shall be taken to include females; and

(b) words in the singular shall include the plural, and words in the plural shall include the singular.

264. Effect of repeal of laws
Where a law is repealed, or is deemed to have been repealed, by, under, or by virtue of the Constitution, the repeal shall not, except as otherwise provided in the Constitution,-

(a) revive anything not in force or existing at the time at which the repeal takes effect;

(b) affect the previous operation of the law or anything duly done or suffered under the law;

(c) affect any right, privilege, obligation or liability acquired, accrued or incurred under the law:

(d) affect any penalty, forfeiture or punishment incurred in respect of any offence committed against the law; or

(e) affect any investigation, legal proceeding or remedy in respect of any such right, privilege, obligation, liability, penalty, forfeiture or punishment;

and any such investigation, legal proceeding or remedy may be instituted, continued or enforced, and any such penalty, forfeiture or punishment may be imposed, as if the law had not been repealed.

Chapter 6.-TITLE, COMMENCEMENT AND REPEAL

265. Title of Constitution and commencement
(1) This Constitution shall be known as the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

(2) Subject to clauses (3) and (4), the Constitution shall come
into force on the fourteenth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-three or on such earlier day as the President may, by notification in the official Gazette, appoint, in the Constitution referred to as the "commencing day".

(3) The Constitution shall, to the extent necessary-

(a) for the constitution of the first Senate;

(b) for the first meeting of a House or a joint sitting to be held;

(c) for the election of the President and the Prime Minister to be held; and

(d) to enable any other thing to be done which, for the purposes of the Constitution, it is necessary to do before the commencing day,

come into force upon the enactment of the Constitution, but the person elected as President or Prime Minister shall not enter upon his office before the commencing day.

(4) Where by the Constitution a power is conferred to make rules or to issue orders with respect to the enforcement of any provision thereof, or with respect to the establishment of any court of office, or the appointment of any Judge or officer thereunder, or with respect to the person by whom, or the time when, or the place where, or the manner in which, anything is to be done under any such provision, then that power may be exercised at any time between the enactment of the Constitution and its Commencement.

266. Repeal
The Interim Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, together with the Acts and President's Order making omissions from, additions to, modifications of, or amendments in, that Constitution is hereby repealed.

Chapter 7.-TRANSITIONAL

267. Power of President to remove difficulties
(1) At any time before the commencing day or before the expiration of three months from the commencing day, the President may, for the purpose of removing any difficulties, or for bringing the provisions of the Constitution into effective operation, by Order, direct that the provisions of the Constitution shall, during such period as may be specified in the Order, have effect, subject to such adaptation, whether by way of modification, addition or omission, as he may deem to be necessary, or expedient.

(2) An Order made under clause (1) shall be laid before both Houses without undue delay, and shall remain in force until a resolution disapproving it is passed by each House or, in case of disagreement between the two Houses, until such resolution is passed at a joint sitting.

268. Continuance in force, and adaptation of, certain laws
(1) Except as provided by this Article, all existing laws shall, subject to the Constitution, continue in force, so far as applicable and with the necessary adaptations, until altered, repealed or amended by the appropriate Legislature.

(2) The laws specified in the Sixth Schedule shall not be altered, repealed or amended without the previous sanction of the President.

(3) For the purpose of bringing the provisions of any existing law into accord with the provisions of the Constitution (other than Part II of the Constitution), the President may by Order, within a period of two years from the commencing day, make such adaptations, whether by way of modification, addition or omission, as he may deem to be necessary or expedient, and any such Order may be made so as to have effect from such day, not being a day earlier than the commencing day, as may be specified in the Order.

(4) The President may a uthorise the Governor of a Province to exercise, in relation to the Province, the powers conferred on the President by clause (3) in respect of laws relating to matters with respect to which the Provincial Assembly has power to make laws.

(5) The powers exercisable under clauses (3) and (4) shall be subject to the provisions of an Act of the appropriate Legislature.

(6) Any court, tribunal or authority required or empowered to enforce an existing law shall, notwithstanding that no adaptations have been made in such law by an Order made under clause (3) or clause (4), construe the law with all such adaptations as are necessary to bring it into accord with the provisions of the Constitution.

(7) In this Article, "existing laws" means all laws (including Ordinances, Orders-in-Council, Orders, rules, bye-laws, regulations and Letters Patent constituting a High Court, and any notifications and other legal instruments having the force of law) in force in Pakistan or any part thereof, or having extra-territorial validity, immediately before the commencing day.

Explanation: In this Article, "in force", in relation to any law, means having effect as law whether or not the law has been brought into operation.

269. Validation of laws, acts, etc.
(1) All Proclamations, President's Orders, Martial law Regulations, martial law Orders and all other laws made between the twentieth day of December, one thousand nine between the twentieth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one and the twentieth day of April, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-two (both days inclusive), are hereby declared notwithstanding any judgement of any court, to have been validly made by competent authority and shall not be called in question in any court on any ground whatsoever.

(2) All order made, proceedings taken and acts done by any authority, or by any person, which were made, taken or done, or purported to have been made, taken or done, between the twentieth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one and the twentieth day of April, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-two (both days inclusive), in exercise of the powers derived from any President's Orders, Martial Law Regulations, Martial Law Orders, enactment, notifications, rules, orders or bye-laws, or in execution of any orders made or sentences passed by any authority in the exercise or purported exercise of powers as aforesaid, shall, notwithstanding any judgement of any court, be deemed to be and always to have been validly made, taken or done and shall not be called in question in any court on any ground whatsoever.

(3) No suit or other legal proceedings shall lie in any court against any authority or any person for or on account of or in respect of any order made, proceedings taken or act done whether in the exercise or purported exercise of the powers referred to in clause (2)or in execution of or in compliance with orders made or sentences passed in exercise or purported exercise of such powers.

270. Temporary validation of certain laws, etc.
(1) Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may by law made in the manner prescribed for legislation for a matter in Part I of the Federal Legislative List validate all Proclamations, President's Orders, Martial Law Regulations, Martial Law Orders and other laws made between the twenty-fifth day of March, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-nine, and the nineteenth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one (both days inclusive).

(2) Notwithstanding a judgment of any court, a law made by Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) under clause (1) shall not be questioned in any court on any ground, whatsoever.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of clause (1), and a judgment of any court to the contrary, for a period of two years from the commencing day, the validity of all such instruments as are referred to in clause (1) shall not be called in question before any court on any ground whatsoever.

(4) All orders made, proceedings taken, and acts done by any authority, or any person, which were made, taken or done, or purported to have been made, taken or done, between the twenty-fifth day of March, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-tone and nineteenth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one (both days inclusive), in exercise of powers derived from any President's Orders, Martial Law Regulations, Martial Law Orders, enactments, notifications, rules, orders or bye-laws, or in execution of any order made or sentence passed by any authority in the exercise or purported exercise of power as aforesaid shall, notwithstanding any judgment of any court, be deemed to be and always to have been validly made, taken or done, so however that any such order, proceeding or act may be declared invalid by ¹[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] at any time within a period of two years from the commencing day by resolution of both Houses, or in case of disagreement between the two Houses, by such resolution passed at a joint sitting and shall not be called in question before any court on any ground, whatsoever.

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