View source for Pakistan Muslim League

{{Short description|Right-wing political parties in Pakistan}}
{{distinguish|Muslim League (Pakistan)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Pakistan Muslim League
| native_name      = پاکستان مسلم لیگ
| abbr             = PML
| logo             = Flag of the Pakistan Muslim League.svg
| colorcode        = {{party color|Pakistan Muslim League (N)}}
| founder          = [[Ayub Khan (general)|Ayub Khan]] (1962)<ref name="The Muslim League: A factional history"/>
| leader1_title    = Historical leaders
| leader1_name     = [[Nurul Amin]]<br />[[Syed Shah Mardan Shah-II|Pir Pagarah VII]]<br />[[Abdul Qayyum Khan]]
| founded          = {{start date and age|1962}}
| predecessor      = [[Muslim League (Pakistan)|ML]]
| ideology         = [[Conservatism]] ([[Conservatism in Pakistan|Pakistan]])<br />[[Pakistani nationalism]]<br />'''Factions:'''<br />[[Presidential Republic|Pro-presidentialism]]<br />[[Parliamentary system|Pro-parliamentarism]]
| country          = Pakistan
}}
{{Islam in Pakistan}}

The '''Pakistan Muslim League''' ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|پاکستان مسلم لیگ}}}}; known as '''PML'''), is the name of several different [[Politics of Pakistan|Pakistani political parties]] that have dominated the [[Conservatism in Pakistan|centre-right platform]] in the country.<ref name="The Muslim League: A factional history">{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1310662|title=The Muslim League: A factional history|date=26 January 2017|access-date=5 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Paracha|first=Nadeem F.|date=2014-07-31|title=Various shades of green: An ideological history of the Muslim League|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1122395|access-date=2021-06-10|newspaper=Dawn|location=Pakistan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2018-03-15|title=The Muslim Leagues of Pakistan|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/215301/the-muslim-leagues-of-pakistan/|access-date=2021-06-10|work=Daily Times}}</ref>

The [[Muslim League (1947–1958)|''Muslim League'']] (the original successor of the [[All-India Muslim League]]) was the party of Pakistan's founders. However, it faced multiple fractures soon after Pakistan gained independence in 1947. It vanished in the 1970s. Its revival began in the mid-1980s and today several parties in Pakistan are named Muslim League.

==History==
===First phase (1962–1969)===
{{see also|Muhammad Ayub Khan|Convention Muslim League}}
The first "Pakistan" Muslim League was founded by [[Ayub Khan (general)|President Ayub Khan]] in 1962 as a successor to the [[Muslim League (Pakistan)|original Muslim League]]. Just a short period after its foundation, the party broke into two factions: [[Convention Muslim League]] that supported the President and the new [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1962|Constitution]], and the [[Council Muslim League]], that opposed the new Constitution, denouncing it as undemocratic that made the [[President of Pakistan|Presidency]] an autocratic position. Following President Ayub's resignation, [[Nurul Amin]], a [[right-wing]] political veteran, attempted to reunite the factions of Pakistan Muslim League. His efforts were supported by some, while opposed by others. Before the [[1970 Pakistani general election|1970 Elections]], a senior leader of Council Muslim League, [[Abdul Qayyum Khan]] formed his own [[Pakistan Muslim League (Qayyum)|variant of the Muslim League]] that opposed cooperation with a party that once supported a [[Dictator]]. In 1973, Amin's efforts succeeded and the [[Pakistan Muslim League (F)|Functional Muslim League]] (PML-F) was founded.

===Second phase (1969–1977)===
After the resignation of President [[Ayub Khan]], Pakistan Muslim League once again united under the leadership of the [[Conservatism|conservative]] political veteran, Nurul Amin. Although they were closer ideologically, they were not ready to accept each other's domination. This is the reason that they competed against each other in [[1970 Pakistani general election|1970 elections]].
 
Following the death of Nurul Amin, the PML went into political abyss but made its notable comeback in a direct response to [[Nationalisation in Pakistan|nationalisation]] and the outgrowth of [[Socialism in Pakistan|leftism]] in the country under the [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Bhutto administration]]. In the 1970s, the PML led by [[Pir Pagara]] was benefited with the financial support of industrialists, including [[Nawaz Sharif]] and [[Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain|Shujat Hussain]], and intelligentsia that included lawyers, [[Fida Mohammad Khan|Fida Mohammad]] and [[Javed Hashmi]].
 
Efforts of Pir Pagara assimilated of majority of the factions of the Pakistan Muslim League, in a bid to mount a strong opposition to the leftist [[Pakistan Peoples Party]] (PPP) in the 1970s. It may be noted that all factions will continue to hold their individual identities, as the PML was treated as a platform for parties to come together.

===Third phase (1977–1985)===
{{main|Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq}}
 
When Pakistan went into martial law in 1977, [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|General Zia-ul-Haq]] took power after [[Operation Fair Play|overthrowing the Bhutto government]]. In 1985, after the [[1985 Pakistani general election|election]], Zia appointed [[Muhammad Khan Junejo]] as the new [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]]. Junejo, with a large group of pro-Zia conservatives founded an entirely new party by the name of Pakistan Muslim League. Junejo however soon started to lose the support of party due to his opposition to Zia. Meanwhile, other influential politicians like Nawaz Sharif and [[Fida Mohammad Khan]] started to gain power.

After the [[Death of Zia-ul-Haq]] in 1988, democracy returned and new [[1988 Pakistani general election]] elections were supposed to be held. Junejo split away from the party and formed [[Pakistan Muslim League (J)]]. Meanwhile, Fida became the party chairman and Sharif the General-Secretary. Pakistan Muslim League allied with [[Jamaat-e-Islami]] and other right-wing parties to form the [[Islami Jamhoori Ittehad|Islamic Democratic Alliance]] against the left-wing PPP. This event marked the end of the Pakistan Muslim League.

The Pakistan Muslim League formally dissolved alongside other parties following the [[Operation Fairplay|1977 Martial Law]], though it supported it. However, it was restored in 1985, when [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|General Zia]] organised his supporters into a formal party under the leadership of [[Muhammad Khan Junejo]]. In 1988, Zia dismissed Junejo and the party split between [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]] and [[Pakistan Muslim League (J)]]. In 1990, [[Death of Zia-ul-Haq|after Zia's death]], Pakistan Muslim League came under the leadership of [[Nawaz Sharif]] and joined the [[Islami Jamhoori Ittehad|Islamic Democratic Alliance]]. In 1993, after the Alliance has been dissolved. After the [[1999 Pakistani coup d'etat|1999 Coup]], PML-N went into a temporary decline and three new factions of Pakistan Muslim League were founded: Anti-[[Pervez Musharraf|Musharraf]] [[Pakistan Muslim League (Z)|PML (Zia)]], Pro-Musharraf conservative [[Awami Muslim League (Pakistan)|Awami Muslim League]] and Pro-Musharraf liberal [[Pakistan Muslim League (Q)]] (PML-Q).

In 2004, the PML-Q and the PML-F briefly reunited as the Pakistan Muslim League. However, the reunion was unsuccessful and within few days, both the parties went off in separate directions once again.

==List of breakaway factions==
{{further|List of Muslim League breakaway groups}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Pakistani political parties}}

[[Category:Pakistan Muslim League| ]]
[[Category:Muslim League breakaway groups]]
[[Category:Political parties in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistan Muslim League (N)|*Main]]
[[Category:Pakistan Muslim League (Q)|*Main2]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Pakistan]]