The Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML(N) or PML-N; Urdu: پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن)) is a centre-right, conservative liberal political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate and the largest in the National Assembly. The party was founded in 1993, when a number of prominent conservative politicians in the country joined hands after the dissolution of Islamic Democratic Alliance, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The party's platform is generally conservative, which involves supporting free markets, deregulation, lower taxes and private ownership. Although the party historically supported social conservatism, in recent years, the party's political ideology and platform has become more liberal on social and cultural issues; however, members have been accused of using Islamist populist rhetoric. Alongside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), it is one of the three major political parties of the country.
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously served in the post from April 2022 to August 2023. He has also served as the president of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N). Previously in his political career, he served as the chief minister of Punjab three times, making him the longest-serving chief minister of Punjab.
Khawaja Saad Rafique is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from October 2018 till August 2023 and the federal minister for Railways.
Qamar Zaman Kaira is a former Minister of Information and Mass-Media Broadcasting in the Government of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. He also remained an advisor on Kashmir affairs to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from 18 April 2022 to 10 August 2023.
Rana Sanaullah Khan is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who is currently serving as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs since April 2024. Previously, he served as the 39th Interior Minister of Pakistan in first Shehbaz Sharif's Government. He is second most popular official in Shehbaz Sharif Government. He's been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till August 2023. He is a senior member of PML-N and the President of PML-N in Punjab province since 4 May 2019. Before getting elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sanaullah had been elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab five times and had served in high-ranking ministries of the province.
Muhammad Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is a Pakistani politician, businessman, and the eldest son of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from September 2018 to April 2022, and resumed this role on 20 October 2022 and continued until the dissolution of the assembly. He briefly held the position of Chief Minister of Punjab from 30 April 2022 to 26 July 2022. His tenure as a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab spanned from August 2018 to January 2023. Prior to this, he was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2008 to May 2018.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani politician, currently serving as the 20th Chief Minister of Punjab, in office since 26 February 2024. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and her initial involvement in public life was through her family’s philanthropic organisations. However, her political career began in earnest in 2012 when she took charge of the election campaign for the 2013 general elections. Following the elections, she was appointed as the Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme in 2013. Despite her active role, she resigned from the position in 2014 after her appointment was legally challenged in the Lahore High Court.
The Sharif family is the most prominent political family in Pakistan and is based in Lahore. The Sharif Family are Punjabi-speaking Kashmiris with their origin in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir and settled in Punjab in the late 20th century.
General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim League, led by Shehbaz Sharif, and the Pakistan People's Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto. The PTI won the most seats in the National Assembly but fell short of a majority; the party subsequently formed a coalition government with several smaller parties. At the provincial level, the PTI remained the largest party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP); the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) retained its dominance in Sindh; and the newly formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) emerged as the largest party in Balochistan. In Punjab, the result was a hung parliament, with the Pakistan Muslim League (N) winning the most seats. However, after several independent MPAs joined the PTI, the latter became the largest party and was able to form a government.
Mian Abbas Sharif was a Pakistani politician and Tablighi Jamaat missionary who was the Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 1993 to 1997. He was the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif.
Marriyum Aurangzeb is a Pakistani politician who currently serves as Senior Minister in the Government of Punjab, in office since March 2024.
Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman is a Pakistani politician who is the former Governor of Punjab, he served in office from 30 May 2022 till 10 May 2024.
Riaz Hussain Pirzada is a Pakistani politician who currently holds the position of Federal Minister for Housing and Works. He has been serving as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since 29 February 2024. He has held previous terms in the National Assembly from August 2018 to August 2023 and from 1993 to May 2018. Additionally, he was a member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from 1985 to 1988.
Sardar Saleem Haider Khan is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as Governor of Punjab, in office since 10 May 2024.
Shehbaz Sharif served the longest tenure in history as chief minister of Punjab spanning over 11 years of rule. His tenures involved the 1997 Nawaz Government, the 2008 Pakistan Peoples Party's regime and the 2013 PML-N's rule. His prominent contribution involves infrastructure development, transit projects and power plants. He has developed flyovers, road infrastructures, transit services and power projects. He is best known for his dedication, working speed, ability to execute mega projects and quick actions. However, he is also heavily criticised over lack of priorities, spending development funds mostly in Lahore and large cities, keeping major power and assignments within himself, nepotism, conflict of interests, and misuse of authority by opposition parties.
Khawaja Salman Rafique is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as Minister of Specialized Health in Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's cabinet. He has previously served in Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet as Minister for Specialized Health and he also has served as Advisor and Special Assistant for Health. He is a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab since 2024 and was before that from April 2008 to March 2013, from September 2013 to May 2018 and from August 2018 to January 2023. He also served as Minister in Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz's Cabinet. He was one of the main key figures in handling dengue in 2010.
Provincial elections were held in the Pakistani province of Punjab to elect the 16th Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 11 May 2013, alongside nationwide general elections and three other provincial elections in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The remaining two territories of Pakistan, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, were ineligible to vote due to their disputed status.
Aisha Ghaus Pasha is a Pakistani politician and economist. In April 2022, she was appointed as a State Minister in the newly formed 34-member Cabinet. She is one of the five female members of the new Pakistan Federal Cabinet. She had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till August 2023. Previously she was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, from June 2013 to May 2018.
Provincial elections were held in the Pakistani province of Punjab on to elect the members of the 17th Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 25 July 2018, alongside nationwide general elections and three other provincial elections in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The remaining two territories of Pakistan, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, were ineligible to vote due to their disputed status.
The constitutional crisis in Pakistan's Punjab province began on 28 March 2022, when Usman Buzdar tendered his resignation as Chief Minister at the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan and nominated former Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to replace him. On 1 April 2022, his resignation was accepted by then Governor of Punjab, Chaudary Mohammed Sarwar.
