List of political parties in Pakistan
![]() | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
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Pakistan is a multi-party democracy. The country has many political parties and many times in past the country is ruled by coalition government.
The Parliament of Pakistan is bicameral, consisting of the National Assembly of Pakistan and the Senate.
Brief history and overviews[]
The military-dominated Establishment has directly ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its existence since its creation in 1947, while frequently exerting covert dominance over the political leadership during the remainder.[1][2] The Establishment in Pakistan includes the key decision-makers in the country's military and intelligence services, national security, as well as its foreign and domestic policies, including the state policies of aggressive Islamization during the military dictatorship of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. However, the military establishment later reversed its support of political Islam under General Pervez Musharraf, who pursued enlightened moderation in the 2000s, leading Pakistan to join the War on Terror.
Till 1990, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was the only major party of Pakistan. After Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto died, Benazir Bhutto took control and they remained a strong position throughout Pakistan. In 1990, Nawaz Sharif of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) won the elections. Two major parties were in Pakistan. After IJI dissolved and Nawaz Sharif founded Pakistan Muslim League (N), PPP and PML(N) were the major two parties of Pakistan. In 1993, Peoples Party won the election again. In 1996, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was formed. In 2013, PTI took part in the elections and won 35 seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan. After the 2018 Pakistan elections, PTI became the government and became one of the three major parties of Pakistan.
In 2019, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was formed of many parties remove Establishment's involvement in politics.
Gilgit-Baltistan[]
Pakistan Peoples Party won the first Gilgit-Baltistan elections and was the only major party of Gilgit-Baltistan with 20 seats out of 33. However in 2015, Pakistan Muslim League (N) won 15 seats and became the major party of Gilgit-Baltistan and PPP only received one seat in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. However in the 2020 elections, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 16 seats and became the only major party of Gilgit-Baltistan with PPP winning 3 and PML(N) winning two seats.
Currently in Gilgit-Baltistan, any party can win and any party can go down.
National Assembly and Senate members[]
Party | Flag | Date of foundation | Political position | Leader | National Assembly | Senate | ||
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | ![]() |
1996 | Centre-right to right-wing | Imran Khan | ![]() |
156 / 342
|
28 / 100
| |
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz | ![]() |
1993 | Centre-right | Shehbaz Sharif | ![]() |
84 / 342
|
18 / 100
| |
Pakistan Peoples Party | ![]() |
1967 | Centre to Centre-left | Bilawal Bhutto | ![]() |
56 / 342
|
21 / 100
| |
Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan[3][4][5][6] | ![]() |
2017 | Centre | Khalid Maqbool | ![]() |
7 / 342
|
3 / 100
| |
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Mainly: ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
2002 | Right-wing to far- right |
|
![]() ![]() |
15 / 342
|
| |
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam | ![]() |
2002 | Centre to centre-right | Shujaat Hussain | ![]() |
5 / 342
|
1 / 100
| |
Awami National Party | ![]() |
1986 | Center-left to left-wing | Asfandyar Wali | ![]() |
1 / 342
|
2 / 100
| |
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party | 1989 | Left-wing | Mahmood Achakzai | ![]() |
0 / 342
|
2 / 100
| ||
National Party | ![]() |
2003 | Centre-left | Abdul Malik Baloch | ![]() |
0 / 342
|
2 / 100
| |
Balochistan National Party | ![]() |
1996 | Left-wing | Akhtar Mengal | ![]() |
4 / 342
|
1 / 100
| |
Balochistan Awami Party | ![]() |
2018 | Centre | Jam Kamal Khan | ![]() |
5 / 342
|
12 / 100
| |
Grand Democratic Alliance | ![]() |
2018 | Centre | Sibghatullah Rashdi | 3 / 342
|
1 / 100
| ||
Awami Muslim League Pakistan | ![]() |
2008 | Centre | Sheikh Rashid Ahmed | ![]() |
1 / 342
|
0 / 100
| |
Jamhoori Wattan Party | ![]() |
Left-wing | Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti | 1 / 342
|
0 / 100
| |||
Independent | N/A
|
4 / 342
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3 / 100
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Unrepresented parties[]
This is the list of registered parties that are currently unrepresented in Parliament and Provincial Assemblies.[7]
Party | Flag | Date of foundation | Political position | Leader | National Assembly | Senate | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jamiat Ahle Hadith | ![]() |
1986 | Far-right | Sajid Mir | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Pak Sarzameen Party | ![]() |
2016 | Center to Center-right | Mustafa Kamal | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Pasban Pakistan | ![]() |
2015 | Single-issue | Altaf Shakoor | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Awami Workers Party | ![]() |
2012 | Left-wing | Yousuf Mastikhan[8] | N/A | N/A | ||
All Pakistan Muslim League | ![]() |
2010 | Centre to centre-right | Pervez Musharraf | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Barabri Party Pakistan | ![]() |
2018 | Jawad Ahmad | N/A | N/A | |||
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) | ![]() |
1980 | Far-right | Hamid Ul Haq Haqqani[9] | N/A | N/A | ||
Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan | 1948 | Shah Owais Noorani[10] | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |||
Jamote Qaumi Movement | ![]() |
1996 | Mir Abdul Majid Abro | N/A | N/A | |||
Pakistan Awami Tehreek | ![]() |
1989 | Centrism Fiscal: Centre-left Social: Centre-right |
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Justice and Democratic Party | ![]() |
2015 | Far-right[citation needed] | Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Pakistan Muslim League (J) | ![]() |
1988 | Muhammad Iqbal Dar[7] | N/A | N/A | |||
Pakistan Muslim League (Z) | ![]() |
2002 | Far-right | Ijaz-ul-Haq | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) | ![]() |
1997 | Ghinwa Bhutto | N/A | N/A | |||
Pakistan Peoples Party Workers | ![]() |
2014 | Centre-left | Safdar Ali Abbasi | N/A | N/A | ||
Qaumi Watan Party | ![]() |
2012 | Centre-left | Aftab Ahmad Sherpao | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Mustaqbil Pakistan | ![]() |
2010 | Nadeem Mumtaz Qureshi[11] | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | ||
Sindh United Party | ![]() |
2006 | Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah | N/A | N/A | |||
Pakistan Sunni Tehreek | 1990 | Sarwat Ejaz Qadri[12] | N/A | N/A | ||||
Sunni Ittehad Council | 2009 | Sahibzada Hamid Raza[7] | N/A | N/A | ||||
Pakistan Awami Raj Party | ![]() |
Jamshed Dasti | N/A | N/A | ||||
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Gulalai) | ![]() |
2018 | Ayesha Gulalai | N/A | N/A | |||
All Pakistan Minorities Alliance | ![]() |
Paul Bhatti | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |||
Sunni Tehreek | 1990 | Ahmad Bilal Qadri[7] | N/A | N/A | ||||
Qomi Awami Tehreek | ![]() |
1970 | Left-wing to far-left | Ayaz Latif Palijo[7] | ![]() |
N/A | N/A | |
Bahawalpur National Awami Party | ![]() |
2010 | Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi | N/A | N/A | |||
Muhajir Qaumi Movement Pakistan | ![]() |
1990 | Afaq Ahmed | N/A | N/A | |||
Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek | ![]() |
Ihsan Bari[7] | N/A | N/A | ||||
Tabdeeli Pasand Party Pakistan | 2012 | Ali Kazi[13] | N/A | N/A |
Dissolved parties[]
Unregistered parties[]
![]() | This list is incomplete; you can help by . (June 2021) |
Party | Flag | Date of foundation | Political position | Leader | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aam Aadmi Party (Pakistan) | ![]() |
2014 | Arslan Ul Mulk | ||
Mazdoor Kisan Party | ![]() |
1968 | Far-left | Afzal Shah Khamosh[17] | |
Pakistan Christian Congress | ![]() |
1985 | Centre-right | Nazir S Bhatti | |
Pakistan Women Muslim League | ![]() |
2013 | |||
Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party | ![]() |
1991 | Left-wing | Qadir Magsi | |
Pakistan Green Party | ![]() |
2002 | Liaquat Ali Shaikh | ||
Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam | ![]() |
1929 | Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah Chaudhry Afzal Haq | ||
Communist Party of Pakistan | ![]() |
1948 | Far-left | Jameel Ahmad Malik | |
National Democratic Movement | ![]() |
2021 | Centre-left | Mohsin Dawar | |
Pakistan Social Democratic Party | Mujeeb ur Rehman Kiani | ||||
Communist Party of Pakistan (Thaheem) | 2002 | Khadim Thaheem |
Provincial Assembly members[]
This is the list of parties that are currently represented in Provincial Assemblies of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, KPK and Gilgit Baltistan Assembly:
Party | Flag | Provincial Assembly | |
---|---|---|---|
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | ![]() |
| |
Pakistan Muslim League (N) | ![]() |
| |
Pakistan Peoples Party | ![]() |
| |
Jamaat-e-Islami | ![]() |
| |
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) | ![]() |
| |
Pakistan Muslim League (Q) | ![]() |
| |
Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan | ![]() |
| |
Awami National Party | ![]() |
| |
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party |
| ||
Balochistan National Party | ![]() |
| |
Balochistan Awami Party | ![]() |
| |
Grand Democratic Alliance | ![]() |
| |
Jamhoori Wattan Party | ![]() |
| |
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan | ![]() |
| |
BNP (Awami) | ![]() |
| |
Hazara Democratic Party | ![]() |
| |
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen | ![]() |
| |
Balawaristan National Front | ![]() |
| |
Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party | ![]() |
| |
Islami Tehreek Pakistan | ![]() |
|
See also[]
References[]
![]() |
- ^ Shah, Saeed (19 August 2019). "Pakistan Extends Powerful Army Chief's Term". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2015). The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience. Oxford University Press. p. 586. ISBN 978-0-19-023518-5.
The civil-military establishment ruled Supreme for 60 years - from 1947 to 2007 - by crushing or betraying social movements and preventing the development of society.
- ^ "MQM is a liberal and democratic party: Altaf." Daily Times, Pakistan 26 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Farooq Sattar vows to fight for Printing Press Quarters residents" The Express Tribune, 30 August 2018. Retrieved 02 September 2020.
- ^ Haq F. "Rise of the MQM in Pakistan: Politics of Ethnic Mobilisation." Asian Survey, University of California Press 1 November 1999 35(11) p990 – 1004 doi=10.1525/as.1995.35.11.01p00677 Accessed 3 August 2009.
- ^ "Pakistan: Human rights crisis in Karachi." Archived 4 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine Amnesty International 1 February 1996. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "List of Enlisted Political Parties" (PDF). www.ecp.gov.pk. Election Commission of Pakistan. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Rally protests against inflation, islands' usurpation, feudalism". The News International. 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Maulana Sami's son named JUI-S acting chief". The Express Tribune. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "PM Imran Khan will have to resign: Shah Owais Noorani | SAMAA". Samaa TV. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Mustaqbil Pakistan: New party boasts of a 'professional cadre' – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 25 May 2014.
- ^ "Sunni Tehrik becomes a political party". dawn.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Imtiaz Ali, and Jan Khaskheli (20 January 2012). "'Tabdeeli Pasands' of Sindh to launch". The News International. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "From All India Muslim League to Pakistan Muslim League". Pakistan Today. 23 June 2021.
- ^ "An unmatched leader". The News International (newspaper). 15 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "A leaf from history: Dousing the fire of hate". Dawn (newspaper). 13 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan's situation: Pakhtun Qaumi Jirga urges govt to revisit foreign policy". The News International (newspaper). 8 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
External links[]
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- Politics of Pakistan
- Lists of political parties by country
- Political parties in Pakistan
- Pakistan politics-related lists
- Lists of political parties in Asia
- Lists of organisations based in Pakistan