Muslim League (Pakistan)

Flag of the Pakistan Muslim League

The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of the time: Ayub Khan, General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf. Every time the pro-establishment political leaders were put together, who splintered apart when the general's blessings faded away.

Currently, Pakistan Muslim League refers to any of the these political parties in Pakistan:

• Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N, the Nawaz Sharif group, ordinarily recognized as original Muslim League was named so after separartion of PML(Q). Formed as PML (Fida Mohammad Khan) in 1988 when it split from Junejo's PML in 1988 after Zia's demise. The new party had Fida Khan as its president and Nawaz Sharif as general secretary. PML-N represents the largest group within Muslim League.

• Pakistan Muslim League (Q)|PML-Q, the Quaid-e-Azam group, formed by Mian Muhammad Azhar in 2001 at the behest of the establishment with other like-minded leaders of PMLN including Syeda Abida Hussain, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. Presently headed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain when he outmaneuvered Mian Azhar to become the president. Officially called Pakistan Muslim League, after the 2004 unification of many smaller PML factions (some of them listed below) and other regional parties.

• Pakistan Muslim League (F)|PML-F, the Functional Muslim League or Pir Pagaro group, first formed in 1973 when Council and Convention Leagues merged (without Qayyum Muslim League, which was allied with PPP-led government) and elected Pir Pagaro as president. Later on, General Zia got all the Muslim Leagues together, but installed Muhammad Khan Junejo as PML president. Feeling uncomfortable, Pagaro left the party and made his own in 1985. Functional League as it was called merged with PMLQ in 2004 under the patronage of General Musharraf, but Pagaro separated again after a few months to form his own league.

• Pakistan Muslim League (J)|PML-J, the Muhammad Khan Junejo group. Officially formed in 1985 as Pakistan Muslim League when General Zia-ul-Haq's government cobbled together many factions of PML and installed Junejo as its president. It was re-formed as PML-Junejo after Junejo's death in 1993 by Hamid Nasir Chattha, Manzoor Wattoo, and Iqbal Ahmed Khan when Nawaz Sharif became president of his own league. Hamid Chattha became the president and Iqbal Ahmed Khan the general secretary. It merged with PML-Q in 2004.
• Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah)|PML-Jinnah, the Jinnah group, founded in 1995 by Manzoor Wattoo after differences with Hamid Chattha. It merged with PML-Q in 2004. Plans to be revived.

Historically, Pakistan Muslim League can also refer to any of the following political parties in Pakistan:

• Muslim League (Pakistan), the Pakistani branch of the Muslim League, which was disbanded and replaced by the Pakistan Muslim League.
• Convention Muslim League, a political platform created by General Ayub Khan in 1962 when he became the President.
• Council Muslim League, a party created by political leaders who opposed General Ayub Khan.
• Qayyum Muslim League, a party created by Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan when he split with the Council Muslim League to run for the 1970 general elections.

Recently Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) made headlines when on 31 December 2007, armed men belonging to the party kidnapped the human rights lawyer, Asma Jahangirs daughters who were in company of some friends, at gun point and brought them to the PML-Q main election office. The girls were detained illegally, abused, severely beaten. Asma's youngest daughter was then dragged off to a separate room by some of the gunmen. Asma Jahangir only barely managed to rescue her daughters and their friends and called the police for assistance. The girls had been out filing ripped and torn election posters in Lahore City in the aftermath of the assassination of Benezir Bhutto. The police took the side of the gunmen, insisting that the girls hand over the tape, or else they would be kidnapped, raped and killed.