The branch and stack (BAKR) instruction performs the branch and link in the same way that the BALR does; additionally, it adds an entry to the linkage stack. The entry includes the branch address of the calling routine.

A program can use the BAKR to branch to a subroutine in its address space and add an entry to the linkage stack, or it can use a BAKR simply to branch to the next instruction in the program and add an entry to the linkage stack. A program return (PR) instruction returns control to the program and removes an entry from the linkage stack.

The BAKR instruction does not change the current addressing mode, nor does it cause a branch out of an address space. You can be in either primary or AR ASC mode to use BAKR.