Pakistan is a multi-party democracy. The country has many political parties and many times in the past the country has been ruled by a coalition government.
The Parliament of Pakistan is bicameral, consisting of the National Assembly of Pakistan and the Senate.
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.
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 2020, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was formed of many parties as a movement against then prime minister Imran Khan. Following Imran Khan’s removal, political unrest broke out throughout the country, and in the events leading up to the Pakistani 2024 election, many new parties were formed. The country’ largest party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, would be subject to legal issues, and an alleged crackdown and therefore was forced to register with their alliance member, the Sunni Ittehad Council, which is a minor religious party.
See main article: article and Provincial Assembly of Punjab. Punjab is generally considered as the most important political province and has been used by major parties such as the PML(N) and PTI in the past to gain legitimacy and as a political stronghold. The Punjab provincial assembly has usually been split between the Pakistan Muslim League N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
See main article: article and Provincial Assembly of Sindh. Sindh has been used as a political stronghold for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) since the party’s creation. The PPP has almost always won landslide victories in provincial elections in Sindh, and has almost always held the province’s seats. Throughout the early 2000s the PML-Q saw minor successes in Sindh, but the province quickly came under the control of the PPP again. The PPP has been accused of bad governance by several Sindhi parties, leading to the creation of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), a coalition of several anti-PPP parties, although the PPP still holds sweeping majorities in Sindhi provincial seats.[3]
See main article: article and Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is full of Pashtun nationalist and regionalist parties favoring Afghan tribalism, such as the ANP and PMAP. The region has also been full of religious parties, like the JUI-F especially throughout the north western areas near Afghanistan. There are several political parties in KPK, and most of them favor Pashtun nationalism with feudal aspects, but ever since Imran Khan’s entrance into politics, the PTI has almost always won landslide election victories in the province and has KPK as a political stronghold and base of power.
See main article: article and Provincial Assembly of Balochistan. The province of Balochistan, Pakistan is full of Baloch nationalist parties, with some demanding autonomy for Balochistan, and some extreme groups demanding secession from Pakistan. Most parties from Balochistan follow the same pattern as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, high levels of regionalism and ethnic nationalism, with most ethnic nationalists being left-wing, as well as right-wing religious groups usually gaining victories near the Afghan border. Balochistan is the only province in which no party regularly gains a clear majority, and the provincial assembly is usually split between Baloch nationalist parties.[4]
See main article: Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. The 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.
| Party | Abrr. | Flag | Founded | Political position | Central leader | Ideology | data-sort-type="number" | Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان تحريکِ انصاف Pakistan Movement for Justice | PTI | 1996 | Centre[5] to centre-right | Gohar Ali Khan | |||||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (N) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) Pākistān Muslam Lig (Nūn) | PML-N | 1993 | Centre-right | Nawaz Sharif | |||||||
| Pakistan Peoples Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی Pākistān Pīplz Pārṭī | PPP | 1967 | Centre-left | Bilawal Bhutto | |||||||
| Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|متحدہ قومی موومنٹ پاکستان Muttaḥidah Qọ̄mī Mūwmaṅṫ Pākistān United National Movement-Pakistan | MQM-P | 2016 | Centre-left to Centre | Khalid Maqbool | |||||||
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl Urdu: {{nq|جمیعت علمائے اسلام (ف) Assembly of Islamic Clerics | JUI-F | 1980 | Right-wing | Fazl-ur-Rahman | |||||||
| Jamaat-e-Islami Urdu: {{nq|جماعتِ اسلامی Islamic Party | JI | 1947 | Right-wing to far-right | Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman | Islamism | ||||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ق) Pākistān Mislam Lig (Q) | PML-Q | 2002 | Centre-right | Shujaat Hussain | |||||||
| Awami National Party Pushto; Pashto: {{nq|عوامي نېشنل ګوند Urdu: {{nq|عوامی نيشنل پارٹی ʿAwāmī Nīšonal Pārṭī People's National Party | ANP | 1986 | Center-left to left-wing | Aimal Wali Khan | Pashtun nationalism | ||||||
| Sunni Ittehad Council {{nq|سنی اتحاد کونسل Sunni Unity Council | SIC | 2009 | Right-wing | Sahibzada Hamid Raza | |||||||
| Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Pakhtunkhwa National People's Party | PkMAP | 1989 | Centre-left to Left-wing | Mahmood Achakzai | |||||||
| National Party Urdu: {{nq|نيشنل پارٹی Nīšonal Pārṭī | NP | 2003 | Centre-left | Abdul Malik Baloch | |||||||
| Balochistan National Party Urdu: {{nq|بلوچستان نيشنل پارٹی Balōčistān Nīšonal Pārṭī | BNP | 1996 | Left-wing | Akhtar Mengal | |||||||
| Balochistan Awami Party Urdu: {{nq|بلوچستان عوامی پارٹی Balōčistān Awāmī Pārṭī Balochistan People's Party | BAP | 2018 | Centre | Khalid Hussain Magsi | |||||||
| Grand Democratic Alliance Urdu: {{nq|گرانڈ جمہوری اتحاد Grānd Jumhuuri Ittehaad | GDA | 2018 | Big tent | Pir of Pagaro VIII | |||||||
| Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party Urdu: {{nq|استحکامِ پاکستان Pakistan Stability Party | IPP | 2023 | Radical centre | Aleem Khan | |||||||
| Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen مجلس وحدتِ مسلمین Muslim Unity Assembly | MWM | 2009 | Centre to Right-wing[6] | Raja Nasir Abbas | |||||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (Z) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ض) | PML-Z | 2002 | Far-right | Ijaz-ul-Haq | |||||||
| Independent Urdu: {{nq|آزاد اراکین | IND | N/A | |||||||||
The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz is a Pakistani conservative political party that was founded in 1993 by senior politician, Nawaz Sharif.[7] The party was founded as an offshoot of the Pakistan Muslim League, but is now its largest faction. It is currently still led by its founder Nawaz Sharif and is ideologically conservative as well as shares similarities with Nawaz's previous party, the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. It saw rapid growth under Nawaz Sharif in the 1990s as it entered a two-party system with the Pakistan People's Party.[8] It is also advocates for economic privatization, as Nawaz himself was a business owner. The party follows a free market capitalist and economically liberalist approach.[9] It has developed a somewhat ideology around its leader Nawaz Sharif and has been led by members of the Sharif family. It has been right-wing for most of its existence but has shifted to a center-right position in recent years. It holds is base of power in Punjab, more specifically Lahore and has had 3 different prime ministers including Nawaz himself who served for the longest non-consecutive time (9 years). The prime ministers from the PML-N include Nawaz Sharif (3 terms), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (1 term) and Nawaz's younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif (2 terms), who is serving right now.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is a political party founded in 1996 by cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan. The party was founded on the premise of bringing change to Pakistan and to bring a new face to Pakistani politics, as when the party was founded the PPP and PML-N ruled Pakistan in a de-facto two party system. It advocates for welfarism and has promoted turning Pakistan into a modern welfare state.[10] It has often seen populism around Imran Khan, a former cricket star. It launched a large-scale anti-corruption campaign across Pakistan in the 2000s and 2010s which led to its victory in the 2018 Pakistani general election.[11] It holds its base of power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also holds significant popularity and influence across western Punjab, where Imran Khan is from. It has been widely seen as an anti-establishment party since 2022 as it clashed with Pakistan's military establishment. It was founded as a centrist party, though in 2024, some sources indicated that the party had shifted center-right due to its pro-islamic unity teachings.[12] Besides this it has advocated for rule of law and constitutionalism as part of its political alliance, the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin. Despite being the largest political party in Pakistan in terms of membership, and in the top 10 largest parties worldwide, it has only had one prime minister, being Imran Khan himself who served for one term.
The Pakistan People's Party is a political party founded in 1967 by statesman, barrister and senior politician, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It is by far the oldest out of the top ruling parties in Pakistan and was the first Pakistani political party to lay out a manifesto and ideology.[13] It was founded on the premise of socialism and to struggle against the military rule of Field Marshal Ayub Khan (1958-1969). It has also been characterized as Pakistan's first democratic party[14] and has been left-wing for most of its existence with its founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto being a left-wing populist, though in the 21st century it has shifted to a center-left position. Zulfikar ruled Pakistan from 1971 until 1977, when he was overthrown and later hanged in 1979. The party has been widely seen as a dynastic political family party as it has seen its leadership pass down through the Bhutto family, which has seen a devoted cult of personality. After Zulfikar's death the party abandoned its socialist ideology and instead shifted to progressivism under Zulfikar's daughter, Benazir Bhutto. Benazir would be assassinated in 2007 and since then the party has been controlled by her husband, Asif Ali Zardari as well as her son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The party has been rivals with the PML-N for most of its existence but has joined hands with the PML-N against the PTI. Its main base of power is Sindh. The PPP is led by the Central Executive Committee and has seen 4 different prime ministers including: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1973-1977), Benazir Bhutto (1988-1990, 1993-1996), Yusuf Raza Gillani (2008-2012) and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (2012-2013).
| Party | Abrr. | Flag | data-sort-type="number" | Sindh | data-sort-type="number" | Punjab | data-sort-type="number" | Balochistan | data-sort-type="number" | KPK | data-sort-type="number" | Gilgit-Baltistan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان تحريکِ انصافPakistan Movement for Justice | PTI | ||||||||||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (N) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) | PML-N | ||||||||||||
| Pakistan Peoples Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی | PPP | ||||||||||||
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Urdu: {{nq|جمیعت علمائے اسلام (ف) | |||||||||||||
! style="background-color: " ||Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ق)|PML-Q|| | | | | |-!style="background-color: #228B22 | |Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party
Urdu: {{nq|استحکامِ پاکستانPakistan Stability Party|IPP|| | | | | |-! style="background-color: " ||Jamaat-e-Islami
Urdu: {{nq|جماعتِ اسلامی
Islamic Party|JI||| | | |
|-! style="background-color: " ||Balochistan National Party
Urdu: {{nq|بلوچستان نيشنل پارٹی|BNP|| | | | | }|-! style="background-color: " ||Balochistan Awami Party
Urdu: {{nq|بلوچستان عوامی پارٹیBalochistan People's Party|BAP|| | | | | | |-! style="background-color: " ||National Party
Urdu: {{nq|نيشنل پارٹی
Nīšonal Pārṭī|NP|| | | | | |-! style="background-color: " ||Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen
Urdu: {{nq|مجلس وحدت مسلمینMuslim Unity Assembly|MWM|| | | | ||-|colspan=9 align="center" bgcolor="grey"|
Pakistan Movement for Justice Parliamentarians|PTI-P|| | | || |-! style="background-color:" ||Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
Urdu: {{nq|تحریک لبیک پاکستانHere-I-Am Movement Pakistan|TLP|| | | | | |-! style="background-color:" ||Balochistan National Party (Awami)
Urdu: {{nq|بلوچستان نیشنل پارٹی (عوامی)Balochistan National Party (People's)|BNP-A|| | | | | |-! style="background-color: #0042d6" ||Haq Do Tehreek BalochistanGive Rights Movement Balochistan|HDTB|| | | | | |-! style="background-color:" ||Balawaristan National Front
Urdu: {{nq|بلاورستان نيشنل فرنٹ
Balāwaristān Naishanal Franṭ|BNF|| | | | ||-! style="background-color:" ||Islami Tehreek Pakistan
Urdu: {{nq|اسلامی تحریک پاکستانIslamic Movement Pakistan|ITP|| | | | ||-! style="background-color: " ||Independent
Urdu: {{nq|آزاد اراکین|IND|IND|| || ||
|}
This is the list of registered parties that are currently unrepresented in Parliament and any of the provincial assemblies of Pakistan since 2024.[15]
| Party | Abrr. | Flag | Founded | Political position | Leader | Core ideology | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek Urdu: {{nq|الله اکبر تحریکGod is Great Movement | AAT | Muhammad Aslam Rabbani | |||||||
| Awami Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|عوامی مسلم لیگ پاکستان Awāmī Musallam League PākistānPeople's Muslim League | AML | 2008 | Centre | Sheikh Rashid Ahmed | |||||
| Awami Workers Party Urdu: {{nq|عوامی ورکرز پارٹی People's Workers Party | AWP | 2012 | Left-wing | Akhtar Hussain | |||||
| Barabri Party Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|برابری پارٹی پاکستانEquality Party Pakistan | BPP | 2018 | Left-wing | Jawad Ahmad | |||||
| Haqooq-e-Khalq Party Urdu: {{nq|حقوقِ خلق پارٹی پاکستانRights of the People Party | HKP | 2022 | Left-wing | Ammar Ali Jan | Socialism | ||||
| Hazara Democratic Party Urdu: {{nq|ہزارہ ڈیموکریٹک پارٹی | HDP | 2003 | Centre-left | Abdul Khaliq Hazara | |||||
| Jamhoori Wattan Party Urdu: {{nq|جمہوری وطن پارٹی Democratic National Party | JWP | 1990 | Centre-left[16] to Left-wing | Shahzain Bugti | |||||
| Jamiat Ahle Hadith Urdu: {{nq|جمیعت اہلِ حدیث Assembly of People of Hadith | JAH | 1986 | Far-right | Sajid Mir | |||||
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Imam Noorani) Urdu: {{nq|جمعیت علماء پاکستان (امام نورانی)Assembly of Islamic Clerics (Imam Noorani) | JUP-IN | 1948 | Right-wing | Shah Owais Noorani[17] | Religious politics (specifically Islamic) | ||||
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Noorani) Urdu: {{nq|جمعیت علماء پاکستان (نورانی)Assembly of Islamic Clerics (Noorani) | JUP-N | 1948 | Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair | Religious politics (specifically Islamic) | |||||
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) Urdu: {{nq|جمعیت علمائے اسلام (س)Assembly of Islamic Clerics (S) | JUI-S | 1980 | Far-right | Hamid Ul Haq Haqqani[18] | |||||
| Jamote Qaumi Movement Urdu: {{nq|جاموٹ قومی موومنٹJamote National Movement | JQM | 1996 | Mir Abdul Majid Abro | Jamote nationalism | |||||
| Muhajir Qaumi Movement – Haqiqi Urdu: {{nq|مہاجر قومی موومنٹ حقیقیMuhajir National Movement - True | MQM-H | 1992 | Center-left | Afaq Ahmed | |||||
| Mustaqbil Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|مستقبل پاکستانFuture Pakistan | MP | 2010 | Nadeem Mumtaz Qureshi[19] | ||||||
| National Democratic Movement Pushto; Pashto: {{nq|ملي جمهوري غورځنګ Millī Jumhūrī Ghōrźang Urdu: {{nq|قومی جمہوری تحریک | NDM | 2021 | Centre-left | Mohsin Dawar | |||||
| National Democratic PartyUrdu: {{nq|نیشنل ڈیموکریٹک پارٹی | NDP | 2018 | |||||||
| Pakistan Awami Tehreek Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان عوامی تحريک Pakistan People's Movement | PAT | 1989 | Centrism Fiscal: Centre-left Social: Centre-right | Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri | |||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (J) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ج) | PML-J | 1988 | Muhammad Iqbal Dar | ||||||
| Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (شہید بھٹو) Sindhi: {{nq|پيپلزپارٽي شهيدڀٽوPakistan Peoples Party (Martyr Bhutto) | PPP-S | 1997 | Left-wing | Ghinwa Bhutto | Bhuttoism | ||||
| Pakistan Peoples Party Workers Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی ورکرز | PPP-W | 2014 | Centre-left | Safdar Ali Abbasi | |||||
| Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party Pakistan Path of Truth Party | PRHP | 2012 | Far-right | Ibrahim Khan Qasmi | |||||
| Pakistan Sunni Tehreek Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان سنی تحریکPakistan Sunni Movement | PST | 1990 | Far-right | Sarwat Ejaz Qadri | |||||
| Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Nazriati Urdu: {{nq| پاکستان تحریک انصاف نظریاتیPakistan Movement for Justice Ideological | PTI-N | 2012 | Akhtar Iqbal Dar | ||||||
| Pasban-e-Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|پاسبان پاکستان Guardians of Pakistan | PP | 2015 | Single-issue | Altaf Shakoor | |||||
| Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party Pakistan Urdu: {{nq| پشتونخوا نیشنل عوامی پارٹیPashtunkhwa National People's Party | PKNAP | 2022 | Left-wing | Khushal Khan Kakar | |||||
| Qaumi Awami Tahreek Urdu: {{nq|قومی عوامی تحریکNational People's Movement | QAT | 1970 | Left-wing to far-left | Ayaz Latif Palijo | |||||
| Qaumi Watan Party Urdu: {{nq|قومی وطن پارٹی Pushto; Pashto: {{nq|قومي وطن ګوندNational Homeland Party | QWP | 2012 | Centre-left | Aftab Ahmad Sherpao | |||||
| Rabita Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Urdu: {{nq|رابطہ جمعیت علمائے اسلامAssociated Assembly of Islamic Clerics | RJUI | 2020 | Far-right | Muhammad Khan Sherani | |||||
| Sindh United Party Urdu: {{nq|سندھ یونائیٹڈ پارٹی Sindhi: {{nq|سنڌ يونائيٽڊ پارٽي | SUP | 2006 | Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah | ||||||
| Tabdeeli Pasand Party PakistanUrdu: {{nq|تبدیلی پسند پارٹی پاکستان Progressive Party Pakistan | TPPP | 2012 | Ali Kazi[20] | ||||||
| Party | Abrr. | Flag | Founded | Dissolved | Political position | Founder/Leader(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Pakistan Awami Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|آل پاکستان عوامی مسلم لیگ Bengali: নিখিল পাকিস্তান আওয়ামী মুসলিম লীগAll Pakistan People's Muslim League | APAML | 1950 | 1971 | Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy | |||||
| Awami Jamhuri Ittehad Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|عوامی جمهوری اتحادPeople's Democratic Alliance Pakistan | AJIP | 2012 | 2015 | Liaqat Khan Tarakai | |||||
| Awami Raj Party Urdu: {{nq|عوامی راج پارٹیPeople's Rule Party | ARJ | 2023 | Jamshed Dasti | ||||||
| Azad Pakistan Party Urdu: {{nq|آزاد پاکستان پارٹیFree Pakistan Party | APP | 1949 | 1957 | Left-wing | Mian Iftikharuddin | ||||
| Combined Opposition Parties Sindhi: {{nq| اپوزیشن جماعتوں کی مشترکہ | COP | 1965 | 1965 | Big tent | Fatima Jinnah | ||||
| Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party Urdu: {{nq|کمیونسٹ مزدور کسان پارٹی Communist Workers and Farmers Party | CMKP | 1995 | 2015 | Far-left | |||||
| Convention Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|کنونشن مسلم لیگ | ML-C | 1962 | 1970s | Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman[21] | |||||
| Council Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|کونسل مسلم لیگ | ML-Co | 1962 | 1970s | Khawaja Nazimuddin | |||||
| Ganatantri Dal Bengali: গণতন্ত্রী দলDemocratic Party | GD | 1953 | 1957 | Mahmud Ali Haji Mohammad Danesh | |||||
| Islami Jamhoori Ittehad Urdu: {{nq|اسلامی جمہوری اتحاد Islamic Democratic Alliance | IJI | 1988 | 1990 | Right-wing | Nawaz Sharif | ||||
| Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Nazryati Urdu: {{nq|جمعیت علمائے اسلام (نظریاتی)Assembly of Islamic Clerics (Ideological) | JUI-N | 2007 | 2016 | Maulvi Asmatullah | |||||
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Urdu: {{nq|جمیعت علمائے اسلامAssembly of Islamic Clerics | JUI | 1945 | 1980 | Shabbir Ahmad Usmani | |||||
| Khaksar movement Urdu: {{nq|تحریکِ خاکسار | KM | 1931 | 1970s | Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi | |||||
| Labour Party Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|لیبر پارٹی پاکستان | LPP | 1986 | 2012 | Left-wing to far-left | |||||
| Millat Party Urdu: {{nq|ملت پارٹیNation Party | MP | 1997 | 2004 | Farooq Leghari | |||||
| Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|مسلم لیگ Bengali: মুসলিম লীগ | ML | 1947 | 1958 | Big tent | Muhammad Ali Jinnah | ||||
| National Awami Party Urdu: {{nq|نیشنل عوامی پارٹی Bengali: ন্যাশনাল আওয়ামী পার্টি National People's Party | NAP | 1957 | 1962 | Left-wing | Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani | ||||
| National Awami Party (Wali) Urdu: {{nq|نیشنل عوامی پارٹی (ولي)National People's Party (Wali) | NAP-W | 1967 | 1986 | Left-wing | Khan Abdul Wali Khan | ||||
| National Peoples Party Urdu: {{nq|نیشنل پیپلز پارٹی | NPP | 1986 | 2013 | Mustafa Jatoi | |||||
| National Workers Party Urdu: {{nq|نیشنل ورکرز پارٹی | NWP | 1999 | 2010 | Left-wing | Abid Hassan Minto | ||||
| Pakistan Democratic Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان جمہوری پارٹی | PDP | 1967 | 2012 | Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan | |||||
| Pakistan Hindu Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان ہندو پارٹی | PHP | 1990 | |||||||
| Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان جسٹس وڈیموکریٹک پارٹی | PJDP | 2015 | 2023 | Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry | |||||
| Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مزدور کسان پارٹیPakistan Labourers and Farmers Party | PMKP | 1974 | 2015 | Afzal Shah Khamosh | |||||
| Pakistan Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ | PML | 1962 1969 1977 | 1969 1977 1985 | Ayub Khan | |||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (جناح) | PML-J | 1995 | 2004 | ||||||
| Pakistan Muslim League (Qayyum) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم ليگ (قيوم) | PML-Qy | 1970 | 1993 | Abdul Qayyum Khan | |||||
| Pakistan Peoples Muslim League Formerly Pakistan Muslim League (Like-Minded) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ہم خیال) | PPML | 2009 | 2013 | Arbab Ghulam Rahim | |||||
| Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian (Patriots) | PPP-PP | 2017 | Rao Sikander Iqbal Faisal Saleh Hayat | ||||||
| Pakistan Socialist PartyUrdu: {{nq|پاکستان سوشلسٹ پارٹی | PSP | 1948 | 1958 | Left-wing | |||||
| Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Gulalai) Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان تحريکِ انصاف (گلالئی)Pakistan Movment for Justice (Gulalai) | PTI-G | 2018 | 2023 | Ayesha Gulalai | |||||
| Pak Sarzameen Party Urdu: {{nq|پاک سر زمین پارٹیPure Homeland Party | PSP | 2016 | 2023 | Centre-left | Mustafa Kamal | ||||
| Pukhtoonkhwa Mazdoor Kissan Party Urdu: {{nq|پختونخواہ مزدور کسان پارٹیPakhtunkhwa Labourers and Farmers Party | PkMKP | 1979 | 1989 | Sher Ali Bacha[22] | |||||
| Qaumi Inqilabi Party Urdu: {{nq|قومی الانقلابی پارٹیNational Revolutionary Party | QIP | 1987 | Left-wing | ||||||
| Republican Party Urdu: {{nq|ریپبلکن پارٹی | RP | 1955 | 1958 | Centre-right | Feroz Khan Noon | ||||
| Sindh Awami Ittehad Urdu: {{nq|سندھ عوامي اتحاد Sindhi: {{nq|سنڌ عوامي اتحادSindh People's Alliance | SAI | 2012 | 2017 | Liaquat Ali Jatoi | |||||
| Sindh Hari Committee Sindhi: {{nq|سنڌ هاري ڪاميٽيSindh Farmer Committee | SHC | 1930 | Left-wing | G. M. Syed | |||||
| Sindh Mohajir Punjabi Pathan Muttahida Mahaz Urdu: {{nq|سندھ مہاجر پنجابی پٹھان متحدہ محاذ Sindh Muhajir Punjabi Pashtun United Front | SMPPMM | 1969 | Nawab Muzaffar Khan[23] | ||||||
| Sindh National FrontUrdu: {{nq|سندھ نیشنل فرنٹ Sindhi: {{nq|سنڌ نيشنل فرنٽ | SNF | 1989 | 2017 | Mumtaz Bhutto | |||||
| Tehreek-e-Istiqlal Urdu: {{nq|تحریک استقلالSolidarity Movement | TI | 1970 | 2012 | Asghar Khan | |||||
| Tehreek-e-Jafaria Urdu: {{nq|تحریک جعفریہ پاکستان Movement for Shia Law | TJ | 1979 | Far-right | Arif Hussain Hussaini | |||||
| Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|تحریک تحفظ پاکستان Movement for the Protection of Pakistan | TTP | 2012 | 2013 | Centre | Abdul Qadeer Khan | ||||
| Workers Party Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|ورکرز پارٹی پاکستان | WPP | 2010 | 2012 | Far-left | Abid Hassan Minto | ||||
| Party | Abrr. | Flag | Date of foundation | Political position | Leader(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazdoor Kisan Party Urdu: {{nq|مزدور کسان پارٹی Workers and Peasants Party | MKP | 1968 | Far-left | Afzal Shah Khamosh[24] | |||
| Pakistan Christian Congress Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان کرسچین کانگریس | PCC | 1985 | Centre-right | Nazir S Bhatti | |||
| Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party Sindhi: {{nq|سنڌ ترقي پسند پارٽي Urdu: {{nq|سندھ ترقی پسند پارٹیSindh Progressive Party | STP | 1991 | Left-wing | Qadir Magsi | |||
| Pakistan Green Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان گرین پارٹی | PGP | 2002 | Green | Liaquat Ali Shaikh | |||
| Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam Urdu: {{nq|مجلسِ احرارِ اسلامAssembly of the Free of Islam | MAI | 1929 | Far-right | Syed Muhammad Kafeel Bukhari[25] | |||
| Communist Party of Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|کمیونسٹ پارٹی آف پاکستان | CPP | 1948 | Far-left | Jameel Ahmad Malik[26] | |||
| Pakistan Social Democratic Party Urdu: {{nq|پاکستان سوشل ڈیموکریٹک پارٹی | PSDP | Mujeeb ur Rehman Kiani | |||||
| Communist Party of Pakistan (Thaheem) Urdu: {{nq|کمیونسٹ پارٹی آف پاکستان (تھہیم) | CPP | 2002 | Far-left | Khadim Thaheem[27] | |||
| All Pakistan Muslim League Urdu: {{nq|آل پاکستان مسلم لیگ | APML | 2010 | Centre to centre-right | ||||
| Bahawalpur National Awami Party Urdu: {{nq|بہاولپور نیشنل عوامی پارٹیBahawalpur National People's Party | BNAP | 2010 | Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi | ||||
| Gilgit-Baltistan United Movement | GBUM | ||||||
| All Pakistan Minorities Alliance Urdu: {{nq|آل پاکستان اقلیتی اتحاد | APML | Paul Bhatti | |||||
| Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London Urdu: {{nq|متحدہ قومی موومنٹ لندن Muttaḥidah Qọ̄mī MūwmaṅṫUnited National Movement - London | MQM-L | 1984 | Altaf Hussain | ||||
| Awaam Pakistan Urdu: {{nq|عوام پاکستانPeople Pakistan | AP | 2024 | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi[28] | ||||
... Over the next decade, she alternated power with the conservative Pakistan Muslim League-N(PML(N)) led by Nawaz Sharif, as the country's political and economic situation deteriorated. ...