The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (Urdu: (??????? ???? ??? (?)? (abbr. PML-N) is a centre-right conservative party in Pakistan. The party is currently the ruling party, having won a landslide victory during the 2013 General Elections, in the National Assembly. The party also is governs the Balochistan and Punjab provinces. Muslim League (N) is currently headed by Nawaz Sharif who is serving his third term as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The party's platform is generally conservative,[5] which involves supporting free market capitalism, building a strong national defense, and opposing trade and labor unions.[5] According to the International Republican Institute (IRI) survey conducted in 2012, 2013 & 2014 it is the most popular political party in the country.[6][7][8]
One of several continuing factions of the original Muslim League,[9] the seeds of party's foundation following the 1985 Elections when the Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo organised the supporters of Dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq into a single party, known as Pakistan Muslim League. After President Zia's death in 1988, under the leadership of Fida Mohammad Khan, a large faction split away from the Junejo-led PML, to mark the beginning of new party.[10][11] Soon it formed a conservative alliance with various right-wing and Islamist political parties, known as Islamic Democratic Alliance. The alliance formed a government in 1990 under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. In 1993, the alliance dissolved and the party assumed its current shape, branding itself as the ("Nawaz" faction) of Pakistan Muslim League after its Leader.
Since its foundation, the Pakistan Muslim League, along with People's Party, dominated the two-party political system.[12] However, after the 1999 coup, the party was eclipsed by its own splinter faction, the Musharraf-supported Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid), for almost a decade. PML-N however regained popularity in 2008 general elections, when it was elected as the principal opposition party. It returned to power following the elections of 2013, with Sharif elected Prime Minister for an unprecedented third term. The party's stronghold is the Punjab province;[13] where it has formed provincial government six times since 1985 (except in 1993 and 2002), thrice under Sharif's brother, Shehbaz.