Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)
This faction of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) was formed in 1993 when PML was split into two main factions. This centre right party is led by two time Prime minister and leading industrialist Nawaz Sharif. It has strong support base in the urban areas of Punjab and the Hazara region in KPK province. Nawaz Sharif was considered as the pro-establishment politician till 1999 but after the 1999 military quo, he changed his stance and becomes anti establishment politician. He is the main critic of the military’s involvement in the politics. This is a pro business party which introduces the free market economy and neo-liberal economic policies in Pakistan. PML-N is likely to won the upcoming general elections. Its main leadership comes from the urban capitalist and upper middle class which concentrated in Punjab Province. It enjoys the support of big business, traders, and urban poor, some layers of urban workers and big sections of both urban and rural middle class.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)
PPP was formed in 1967 as a pro working class party with a Socialist program and slogans. PPP had the strong base among the working class and urban poor in the cities and small farmers and peasantry in the rural areas. It was the most popular party in Pakistan. Its founder Chairman and first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan was hanged in 1977 by than military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq. Benazir Bhutto took over the party after her father’s death and twice becomes prime minister before being killed in a suicide attack just before the 2008 elections. PPP won the elections in 2008 and formed the government in the centre and three provinces. Now this party is led jointly by her husband and President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. This party has completely transformed from a radical, progressive, left wing pro working class and poor party into a pro feudal and capitalist party dominated fully by big feudal lords and capitalists. PPP has become a centrist party leaning further to the right.
There is hardly any difference between PPP and PML-N on policies and party programs. Its main support base is now in rural Sindh and in South Punjab.
Awami National Party (ANP)
ANP was formed in 1970 as a radical leftwing Pashtun nationalist party led by a Pashtun nationalist Abdul Wali Khan. Its main base is in the Pashtun areas of KPK province, Pashtun belt of Baluchistan province and in Karachi. This party was a main coalition partner of PPP in the centre and led the provincial coalition government in KPK province. This party had the support among the important sections of the urban and rural middle class, urban working class and peasantry but it has been transformed into a Pashtun bourgeois nationalist party. This party now represents the interests of Pashtun capitalist and feudal class.
Jamat-e-Islami (JI)
JI is the main Islamic religious party in the country. It was formed in 1941 as an Islamic revolutionary party on similar pattern that of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. JI remained the traditional ally of the establishment and benefited a lot from this. This party mainly based in the cities in Punjab and Karachi. It also enjoys support in some small towns and rural areas of KPK province. Traditionally it is a middle class based party and likes to form an alliance with PML-N in the elections. JI was the instrumental in the anti communist campaign launched at the behest of American Imperialism in the 1960s and 1970s. JI is responsible for the killings of many left wing student and trade union leaders and left activists. Karachi was JI strong hold before the emergence of MQM in 1980s.
Muthida Quami Movement (MQM)
MQM is Karachi based ethnic linguistic political party which represents big sections of the Urdu speaking urban bourgeoisie and middle class of the cities in Sindh. MQM emerged on the political scene in 1980s when it won the local bodies elections in Karachi. MQM claimed itself as the champion of the rights of Urdu speaking population in Sindh called Muhajirs. MQM use violence to maintain their firm holds on Karachi and other cities of Sindh province. It was a close ally of General Musharaf from 2002 to 2008 and than became ally of PPP led government. MQM in the past was considered an anti establishment party and a military operation was also launched against it in Karachi and Hyderabad in 1991-92. Another operation was launched against MQM in 1994-1995. MQM has a history to join every government since 1988 and than left it for the one reason or the other. Now MQM considered close ally of Pakistani establishment.
Pakistan Tehrik-e- Insaf (PTI)
PTI was formed in 1997 by the cricketer turned politician Imran Khan. Imran Khan is one of the most popular sports personality in Pakistan who led the cricket team to won the cricket world cup in 1992 in Australia. He failed to develop a big political clout until recently. But he started to grow in 2011 and many influential politicians started to join his party. He was succeeded to organize a massive rally in Lahore on 30th October 2012 and his popularity started to increase.
Imran Khan is cleverly mixing the Islamic and populist slogans to attract the layers of upper middle class youth. His main slogan is change. PTI is a right wing centrist party with having both liberal and Islamic face. PTI has a support base in the urban centers of central Punjab, especially among the educated upper middle class layers. In KPK province, PTI is popular in Pashtun areas especially among the most conservative layers of both urban and rural population. PTI has a liberal face for the educated upper middle class youth of central Punjab and a very religiously conservative face for the KPK and tribal areas.
Pakistan Muslim League Quid-e-Azam (PML-Q)
PML-Q is an other faction of Muslim League created by military dictator General Musharaf in 2002, also known as king party. This party was a combination of different influential political families from the rural areas of Pakistan. Now only handful of influential individuals is left with this party. PML-Q is an ally of PPP and jointly contesting elections against PML-N.
Jamiat Ulmai Islam (JUI-F)
JUI-F is a religious conservative pro Taliban party which mainly based in the Pashtun areas of KPK and Baluchistan province.