List of political parties in Pakistan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Pakistan is a country with a multi-party system, meaning it has many different political groups. Often, the country is run by a coalition government, which is when several parties work together.

Pakistan's Parliament has two main parts: the National Assembly of Pakistan and the Senate.

Pakistan's Political Journey
Political Parties in Pakistan's Parliament
Political Parties in Provincial Assemblies
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Pakistan's Political Journey

Since Pakistan was created in 1947, its military has often played a big role in how the country is run. Sometimes, the military has directly governed the country. Other times, it has had a strong influence on the leaders. For example, during the time of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the government strongly supported making Pakistan more Islamic. Later, under General Pervez Musharraf, the focus shifted to a more modern approach.

Before 1990, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was the biggest political party. After its leader, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, passed away, his daughter Benazir Bhutto took charge, and the PPP remained very strong. In 1990, Nawaz Sharif and his party, the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), won the elections. This meant Pakistan had two main parties. When the IJI ended, Nawaz Sharif started the Pakistan Muslim League (N), making the PPP and PML(N) the two biggest parties. The PPP won again in 1993.

In 1996, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was formed. In the 2013 elections, PTI won 35 seats in the National Assembly. After the 2018 elections, PTI formed the government and became one of Pakistan's three major parties.

In 2020, many parties joined together to create the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). This group was formed to protest against the then-prime minister, Imran Khan. After Imran Khan was removed from power, there was a lot of political upset across the country. Leading up to the 2024 elections, many new parties appeared. The country's largest party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, faced legal problems and was forced to team up with a smaller religious party called the Sunni Ittehad Council.

Politics in Punjab Province

Politics in Punjab happens through its Provincial Assembly. Punjab is seen as a very important province for politics. Big parties like PML(N) and PTI have used it to gain support and as a strong base. Only one party, the Pakistan Muslim League Q (PML-Q), has ever focused only on Punjab. The Punjab Provincial Assembly is usually split between the Pakistan Muslim League N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Politics in Sindh Province

Politics in Sindh takes place in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh. Sindh has been a strong base for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) since it started. The PPP almost always wins by a lot in provincial elections in Sindh and usually holds most of the seats. In the early 2000s, the PML-Q had some small wins in Sindh, but the PPP quickly took control again. Some parties in Sindh have accused the PPP of bad governance. This led to the creation of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), which is a group of parties against the PPP. However, the PPP still holds most of the seats in Sindh.

Politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province

Politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa happens in its provincial assembly. This province has many parties that support Pashtun people and local interests, like the ANP and PMAP. There are also many religious parties, such as the JUI-F, especially near the border with Afghanistan. Many parties in KPK support Pashtun nationalism and older, traditional ways of life. But ever since Imran Khan entered politics, the PTI has almost always won elections easily in the province. KPK is now a strong political base for the PTI.

Politics in Balochistan Province

Politics in Balochistan takes place in its provincial assembly. This area has many parties that support Baloch people. Some of these parties want Balochistan to have more control over itself, and some extreme groups even want it to become a separate country from Pakistan. Most parties in Balochistan are similar to those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with strong local and ethnic feelings. Many ethnic nationalist groups lean left in politics, while right-wing religious groups often win near the Afghan border. Balochistan is the only province where no single party usually wins a clear majority. The provincial assembly is often divided among Baloch nationalist parties.

Politics in Gilgit-Baltistan

The Pakistan Peoples Party won the first elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, holding 20 out of 33 seats. However, in 2015, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) won 15 seats and became the main party there, while the PPP only got one seat. In the 2020 elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 16 seats, becoming the main party. The PPP won 3 seats, and PML(N) won 2 seats.

Political Parties in Pakistan's Parliament

This table shows the main political parties that have members in Pakistan's Parliament, which includes the National Assembly and the Senate.

	Abrr.	Flag	Founded	Political position	Leader in Parliament	Main Ideas	National Assembly	Senate
Pakistan Muslim League (N) پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) Pākistān Muslam Lig (Nūn)	PML-N		1993	Centre-right	Nawaz Sharif	Conservative ideas Conservatism Pakistani Conservatism	108 / 336	18 / 100
Pakistan Peoples Party پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی Pākistān Pīplz Pārṭī	PPP		1967	Centre-left	Bilawal Bhutto	Progressive ideas Social fairness Left-leaning	68 / 336	21 / 100
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf پاکستان تحريکِ انصاف Pakistan Movement for Justice	PTI		1996	Centre to centre-right	Gohar Ali Khan	Islamic democratic ideas Helping people National pride Fighting corruption		26 / 100
Sunni Ittehad Council سنی اتحاد کونسل Sunni Unity Council	SIC		2009	Right-wing	Sahibzada Hamid Raza	Sunni Islamic beliefs Barelvi faith Religious politics	81 / 336	0 / 100
Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan متحدہ قومی موومنٹ پاکستان Muttaḥidah Qọ̄mī Mūwmaṅṫ Pākistān United National Movement-Pakistan	MQM-P		2016	Centre-left to Centre	Khalid Maqbool	Muhajir people's rights Separation of religion and state Socially liberal	22 / 336	3 / 100
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl جمیعت علمائے اسلام (ف) Assembly of Islamic Clerics	JUI-F		1980	Right-wing	Fazl-ur-Rahman	Islamic political ideas	8 / 336	5 / 100
Jamaat-e-Islami جماعتِ اسلامی Islamic Congress	JI		1947	Right-wing to far-right	Siraj-ul-Haq	Islamic political ideas Islamic renewal Traditional social values Muslim unity	—	1 / 100
Pakistan Muslim League (Q) پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ق) Pākistān Mislam Lig (Q)	PML-Q		2002	Centre-right	Shujaat Hussain	Pakistani conservative ideas Pakistani pride	4 / 336	1 / 100
Awami National Party عوامي نېشنل ګوند عوامی نيشنل پارٹی ʿAwāmī Nīšonal Pārṭī People's National Party	ANP		1986	Center-left to left-wing	Asfandyar Wali	Pashtun people's rights Fairness for workers Separation of religion and state	—	2 / 100
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party پښتونخوا ملي عوامي ګوند پشتونخوا ملی عوامی پارٹی	PkMAP		1989	Centre-left to Left-wing	Mahmood Achakzai	Pashtun people's rights Focus on regions Left-leaning national pride	1 / 336	2 / 100
National Party نيشنل پارٹی Nīšonal Pārṭī	NP		2003	Centre-left	Abdul Malik Baloch	Baloch people's rights National pride Socially liberal	1 / 336	2 / 100
Balochistan National Party بلوچستان نيشنل پارٹی Balōčistān Nīšonal Pārṭī	BNP		1996	Left-wing	Akhtar Mengal	Baloch people's rights Separation of religion and state Supporting common people	1 / 336	2 / 100
Balochistan Awami Party بلوچستان عوامی پارٹی Balōčistān Awāmī Pārṭī Balochistan People's Party	BAP		2018	Centre	Khalid Hussain Magsi	Progressive ideas Strong provinces	1 / 336	10 / 100
Grand Democratic Alliance گرانڈ جمہوری اتحاد Grānd Jumhuuri Ittehaad	GDA		2018	Wide range of views	Pir of Pagaro VIII	Focus on regions Anti-PPP Good leadership Wide-ranging group	—	1 / 100
Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party استحکامِ پاکستان Pakistan Stability Party	IPP		2023	Strong centre	Aleem Khan	Supporting common people	4 / 336	0 / 100
Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party Pakistan پشتونخوا نیشنل عوامی پارٹی	PKNAP		2022	Left-wing	Khushal Khan Kakar	Pashtun people's rights Equality for all	1 / 336	0 / 100
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen مجلس وحدتِ مسلمین Muslim Unity Assembly	MWM		2009	Centre to Right-wing	Raja Nasir Abbas	Islamic democratic ideas Shia-Sunni unity Islamic social fairness	1 / 336	0 / 100
Pakistan Muslim League (Z) پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ض)	PML-Z		2002	Far-right	Ijaz-ul-Haq	Following Zia's ideas Islamic political ideas	1 / 336	0 / 100
Independent آزاد اراکین	IND	N/A					6 / 336	5 / 100

Political Parties in Provincial Assemblies

This table lists parties that have members in any of Pakistan's five Provincial Assemblies: Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, KPK, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Party		Abrr.	Flag	Sindh	Punjab	Balochistan	KPK	Gilgit-Baltistan
	Pakistan Muslim League (N) پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن)	PML-N		0 / 168	193 / 371	16 / 65	14 / 145	3 / 33
	Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf پاکستان تحريکِ انصاف	PTI						20 / 33
	Sunni Ittehad Council سنی اتحاد کونسل	SIC		9 / 168	113 / 371	0 / 65	87 / 145	0 / 33
	Pakistan Peoples Party پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی	PPP		114 / 168	15 / 371	17 / 65	10 / 145	5 / 33
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) جمیعت علمائے اسلام (ف)}	JUI		0 / 168	0 / 371	13 / 65	9 / 145	1 / 33
	Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan متحدہ قومی موومنٹ پاکستان	MQM-P		36 / 168	0 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Awami National Party عوامی نيشنل پارٹی	ANP		0 / 168	0 / 371	3 / 65	2 / 145	0 / 33
	Pakistan Muslim League (Q) پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ق)	PML-Q		0 / 168	10 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party استحکامِ پاکستان	IPP		0 / 168	5 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Jamaat-e-Islami جماعتِ اسلامی	JI		1 / 168	0 / 371	1 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Balochistan National Party بلوچستان نيشننل پارٹی	BNP		0 / 168	0 / 371	1 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Balochistan Awami Party بلوچستان عوامی پارٹی	BAP		0 / 168	0 / 371	5 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	National Party نيشنل پارٹی Nīšonal Pārṭī	NP		0 / 168	0 / 371	4 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Grand Democratic Alliance گرانڈ جمہوری اتحاد	GDA		3 / 168	0 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen مجلس وحدت مسلمین	MWM		0 / 168	0 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	1 / 33
Parties that are only in Provincial Assemblies
	Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians پاکستان تحریکِ انصاف پارلیمنٹرینز	PTI-P		0 / 168	0 / 371	0 / 65	2 / 145	0 / 33
	Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan تحریک لبیک پاکستان	TLP		0 / 168	1 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Balochistan National Party (Awami) بلوچستان نیشنل پارٹی (عوامی)	BNP-A		0 / 168	0 / 371	1 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan	HDTB		0 / 168	0 / 371	1 / 65	0 / 145	0 / 33
	Balawaristan National Front بلاورستان نيشنل فرنٹ Balāwaristān Naishanal Franṭ	BNF		0 / 168	0 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	1 / 33
	Islami Tehreek Pakistan اسلامی تحریک پاکستان	ITP		0 / 168	0 / 371	0 / 65	0 / 145	1 / 33
	Independent آزاد اراکین	IND	N/A	0 / 168	1 / 371	0 / 65	4 / 145	1 / 33