List_of_political_parties_in_Pakistan

List of political parties in Pakistan

List of political parties in Pakistan

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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.

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.

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.

Punjab

Main article: Provincial Assembly of Punjab

Politics in Punjab happens throughout the 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 province has only seen one exclusively Punjab running party, being the Pakistan Muslim League Q (PML-Q). The Punjab provincial assembly has usually been split between the Pakistan Muslim League N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Sindh

Main article: Provincial Assembly of Sindh

Politics in Sindh happens throughout the 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]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)

Main article: Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa happens throughout the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The province 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.

Balochistan

Main article: Provincial Assembly of Balochistan

Politics in Balochistan happen throughout the provincial assembly of Balochistan. The area 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]

Gilgit-Baltistan

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.

Members of the Parliament

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Provincial Assembly members

This is the list of parties that are currently represented in any of the 5 Provincial Assemblies of Pakistan, which includes, the Provincial assembly in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, KPK and Gilgit-Baltistan

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Unrepresented parties

This is the list of registered parties that are currently unrepresented in Parliament and any of the provincial assemblies of Pakistan since 2024.[6]

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Dissolved parties

Further information: Category:Defunct political parties in Pakistan
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Unregistered parties

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See also

Notes

  1. The current national assembly in Pakistan is under severe allegations of rigging, fraud and electoral misconduct to learn more see Allegations of rigging in the 2024 Pakistani general election
  2. Due to legal complications and an alleged crackdown on the party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was unable to run in the 2024 elections, and therefore officially has no seats in the national assembly. Instead, the PTI’s candidates are registered under the Sunni Ittehad Council, and the PTI’s are seats are shown there.
  3. Represented in-alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
  4. Officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan[6]
  5. Officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Pakistan Muslim League[6]
  6. Officially the MWM states that it is politically aligned with the PTI at the Centre, but the party has also been considered as Right-wing due to its emphasis on religious values.
  7. Although, represented by BNF's Leader Nawaz Khan Naji as Independent candidate[8] but technically may be considered as BNF's representation.
  8. Officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Pakistan[6]
  9. Officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Pasban Democratic Party[6]
  10. Officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Mohajir Qaumi Movement Pakistan[6]
  11. See First phase (1962–1969)
  12. See Second phase (1969–1977)
  13. See Third phase (1977–1985)
  14. It was officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Pakistan Awami Raj[12]
  15. It was officially registered by Election Commission of Pakistan as Jamaat-e-Suffah[12]

References

  1. [1]
    Shah, Saeed (19 August 2019). "Pakistan Extends Powerful Army Chief's Term". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  2. [2]
    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.
  3. [3]
    "HIMAL SOUTH ASIAN | February 2003 | Report | The pathology of military democracy: Manufacturing a government in Sindh". 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. [4]
    Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development, Taj Mohammad Breseeg, 2004
  5. [5]
    Chughtai-11 Hussain-2, Alia-1 Abid-2 (3 February 2024). "Pakistan elections 2024: Which are the major political parties? | Infographic News | Al Jazeera". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. [6]
    "List of Enlisted Political Parties" (PDF). www.ecp.gov.pk. Election Commission of Pakistan. 23 January 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  7. [7]
    The Islamic Politics For Future, The Ideology Agenda of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (Pakistan), (2016), p. 25
  8. [8]
    "Nawaz Khan". Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly (gba.gov.pk). Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  9. [9]
    "DAWN - Opinion; October 29, 2007". DAWN.COM. 29 October 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  10. [10]
    "Maulana Sami's son named JUI-S acting chief". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 4 November 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  11. [11]
    "PM Imran Khan will have to resign: Shah Owais Noorani". SAMAA TV. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  12. [12]
    "List of Enlisted Political Parties" (PDF). www.ecp.gov.pk. Election Commission of Pakistan. 20 December 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Mustaqbil Pakistan: New party boasts of a 'professional cadre'". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 25 May 2014.
  14. [14]
    "'Tabdeeli Pasands' of Sindh to launch". The News International (newspaper). 20 January 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  15. [15]
    "From All India Muslim League to Pakistan Muslim League". Pakistan Today. 23 June 2021.
  16. [16]
    "A leaf from history: Dousing the fire of hate". Dawn (newspaper). 13 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  17. [17]
    "An unmatched leader". The News International (newspaper). 15 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  18. [18]
    "Afghanistan's situation: Pakhtun Qaumi Jirga urges govt to revisit foreign policy". The News International (newspaper). 8 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  19. [19]
    "سید محمد کفیل بخاری مجلس احرار اسلام کے قائم مقام مرکزی امیر منتخب" (in Urdu). Daily Jasarat (newspaper). 26 February 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  20. [20]
    "Afghanistan: Pakistan rejoices at Taliban victory as West flounders". Deutsche Welle. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  21. [21]
    JACOBABAD: Call to shift power from GHQ to parliament -DAWN - Local; February 25, 2008
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