Pakistan, with a population of about 250 million people, will vote on Thursday to elect its central government, parliament and lower house of parliament.
The vote took place amid a fluid political climate and a crackdown on former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Like most major democracies, Pakistan's political parties span a range of ideologies.
This includes the country's major political parties, including those in power nationally, those with significant regional and regional influence, and smaller parties that reflect the diverse issues and challenges facing Pakistan. Introducing political parties.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, a centrist party led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won an overwhelming majority in 2013 and won power for the third time.
However, Sharif, 74, was unable to complete his term due to a series of corruption charges and was removed from office in 2017. In 2018, along with his daughter Mariam, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, days before the last national election.
Shehbaz Sharif, 72, Nawaz's younger brother and former prime minister of the party's political stronghold of Punjab, will become prime minister in 2022. This was after the collapse of the PMLN, part of an alliance known as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Khan and his government passed a motion of no confidence. Mr Khan came to power in 2018.
Shehbaz supporters often refer to him as “Shehbaz Speed” for his energy and quick delivery style in infrastructure projects such as the Lahore Metro Bus project.
But his 16 months as prime minister were marked by hyperinflation and protests led by Khan's PTI.
Meanwhile, Nawaz returned to Pakistan in October after four years in self-imposed exile in the UK. Within weeks, corruption charges against him were dismissed in court, leading analysts to suggest that he had been chosen by the powerful military to become the next prime minister.
The biggest challenge before the Sharifs will be to wrest back support from Mr Khan. Despite being imprisoned for multiple sentences, Mr. Khan remains a popular force, especially among urban youth with a strong digital presence.
The PMLN remains the clear frontrunner heading into the election. The elder Sharif is the party's supreme leader, but it is unclear which of the brothers will lead parliament if the PMLN secures enough seats.
Seats won in 2018: 64
Seats won in 2013: 126
PTI affiliates
PTI, founded by cricketer-turned-politician Khan and now led by Gohar Ali Khan, leans more towards the centre-right.
Khan came to power after winning elections in 2018. But within a few years, when Mr. Khan was removed from office in Pakistan's first-ever parliamentary no-confidence vote, the military authorities who had appeared to support him in that vote turned against him.
Khan has accused the United States of colluding with Pakistan's military and political opponents to oust him, a charge they all deny. After Khan's ouster, his party led demonstrations across the country calling for early elections.
But the protests took an ugly turn when Khan was arrested on corruption charges in May. His supporters went on a rampage, targeting civilian and military facilities.
This uprising resulted in brutal retaliation from the state. Hundreds of party leaders were forced to quit the PTI, thousands of its employees were arrested, and the party faced repression.
Khan has filed more than 150 lawsuits and is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence after being found guilty of corruption and leaking state secrets.
His party has been stripped of its electoral symbol, the cricket bat, and candidates are now forced to run as independents.
Despite the obvious obstacles in the way, the PTI enjoys overwhelming public support across the country, which could work in its favor.
Seats won in 2018: 116
Seats won in 2013: 28
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)
The centre-left Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his father Asif Ali Zardari, is seeking to return to power for the first time since 2008.
The party was founded by his maternal grandfather, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and later led by his mother, two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto. At 35 years old, Bhutto Zardari has a big challenge ahead of him.
The heir of the Bhutto dynasty is facing his second election. He served as foreign minister under the PDM government after Khan was ousted in 2022.
Bhutto Zardari stands out as a young leader in an even younger country where the average age is 20 years old in a country where most men are in their 70s.
But he faces challenges, including criticism of the party's governance in Sindh over the past four terms, especially after the devastating floods in 2022 that destroyed large parts of the province.
His manifesto and campaign focuses on connecting with the country's youth, and he has ambitious plans to fight climate change.
If he becomes prime minister in a significant upset, he will follow in the footsteps of his mother, who became the first person to hold the country's top executive job at the same age in 1988.
Seats won in 2018: 43
Seats won in 2013: 34
Awami National Party (ANP)
The Awami National Party, an ethnic Pashtun nationalist party based primarily in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, aims to replace the PTI in the provincial government.
The centre-left party, led by Asfandyar Wali Khan, has progressive and secular policy stances but has been out of power for nearly two decades, plagued by corruption allegations.
The ANP was part of the 11-party PDM alliance.
Seats won in 2018: 1
Seats won in 2013: 2
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P)
For nearly three decades, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has been the most powerful political force in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and economic backbone.
In the past, the MQM-P has always allied with the country's nationally leading political parties. After the 2018 elections, it formed a coalition with the PTI, but since April 2022 it has switched allegiance to the PDM.
The MQM-P split into London and Pakistan factions in August 2016 after an inflammatory speech by exiled leader Altaf Hussain.
However, when the opportunity arose to join the PDM alliance, the splintered factions and factions of the MQM-P reunited.
Past paramilitary activities targeting the party and alleged links to criminal enterprises in Karachi have eroded the party's popularity in Sindh province.
Much of that support is in Karachi and neighboring cities, which are home to large numbers of people who fled Karachi after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.
The MQM-P will fight against PTI-aligned independents, Jamaat-e-Islam, PPP, and young independent candidates to regain its base.
Seats won in 2018: 6
Seats won in 2013: 18
Jamaat-e-Islam (JI)
Jamaat-e-Islam, led by Siraj-ul-Haq, is a right-wing party with a manifesto centered on religion.
One of Pakistan's oldest political parties, well known for its strong party organization, performed poorly at the polling booths.
It has been out of power for decades, its last notable success being elections in 2002 under President Pervez Musharraf, a general who seized power in a coup.
JI targets Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and focuses on Karachi, led by relatively young leader Hafiz Naeem.
The religious party, which performed well in recent local elections in Karachi, is pushing for more moderate, development-centric policies in hopes of attracting voters.
Seats won in 2018: 12 (In an alliance of religious parties)
Seats won in 2013: 2
Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islami (JUI-F)
The right-wing Jumia Ulema Islam, led by Fazal-ur-Rehman, is also aiming to regain lost ground, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which it lost to the PTI.
The Muslim leader is at the head of the PDM alliance and is trying to use its vast network of religious seminaries to win votes.
Mr. Rehman, who has extensive political experience in Pakistan, is a shrewd political operator who could potentially form an alliance when forming a new government.
Seats won in 2018: 12 (In an alliance of religious parties)
Seats won in 2013: 11
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP)
The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party is a Pashtun nationalist group active primarily in Balochistan and was part of the ruling coalition in the last provincial government.
PkMap, led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, is considered a progressive center-left party in Pakistan's poorest province, which has the least number of parliamentary seats (16).
The party calls for greater state autonomy and a stronger Senate, with equal representation for all states.
Seats won in 2018: 0
Seats won in 2013: 3
Balochistan Awami Party (BAP)
Balochistan Awami Party was formed in 2018, with current caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq being one of the founders.
Since its founding, the party has been seen as a disparate group of politicians from Balochistan's various tribes, leading the line of Pakistan's strong military establishment. In the 2018 elections, BAP allied with PTI.
The party will contest at least 10 seats, all from Balochistan, and is expected to act as a power broker in case the major parties need partners to form a coalition government.
Seats won in 2018: 4
Seats won in 2013: N/A
Awami Workers Party (AWP)
The left-wing Awami Workers' Party is a relatively new and small movement compared to other mainstream groups. He is campaigning on an anti-austerity platform.
While offering options to voters disillusioned with the country's existing political system, their influence is limited, with only three candidates vying for parliamentary seats nationwide.
Seats won in 2018: 0
Seats won in 2013: 0
Haqq-e-Khalk Party (HKP)
The socialist Haqq-e-Khalq party, a newcomer to the 2024 polls, is fielding young candidates in the PMLN stronghold in Lahore.
Like the AWP, the HKP is struggling with the financial resources to field candidates in more constituencies and will only be competing with two parliamentary candidates and one local candidate from one city. .
Seats won in 2018: Not applicable
Seats won in 2013: N/A
Istekham-e-Pakistan Party (IPP)
The Istekham-e-Pakistan party, formed in June, was founded by Jehangir Tareen, one of Pakistan's richest businessmen and a past close ally and financier of Khan.
The centrist party was born just a month after Mr. Khan's PTI faced state repression in the aftermath of the May 9 riots.
A number of PTI leaders who announced their resignation from the party soon emerged from the shadows and announced their joining the IPP.
The party is believed to be made up of a number of elected officials with strong personal influence in their home regions. The party hopes to win enough seats in the election and contribute to the formation of the next government.
Seats won in 2018: Not applicable
Seats won in 2013: N/A
Independent
PTI's remaining candidates must run as independents due to legal issues plaguing the party, but the polls will include a large number of independents who are not affiliated with any political party.
Some of these participants have joined PTI in the past, but this time they have chosen to join on their own. There are also young independent candidates who are not affiliated with mainstream political parties.
Historically, independent candidates almost always end up joining their party by winning the maximum number of seats in parliament.
Seats won in 2018: 13
Seats won in 2013: 27
