Though there is a list of mainstream parties that have been making rounds on both social and television media; there are a separate plethora of political parties that aren’t that well-known. These parties have their set members and political agendas. The following are six such parties that are running for power in the 2018 general elections of Pakistan:
Pakistan Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party
The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami party is deeply rooted in the Pashtun culture as introduced by Khan Shaheed Abdul Samad Khan. It is an extension of the National Awami Party. It gained autonomy after it met with some differences in the former party when deciding the fate of Balochistan. This party was a participant in the 1988 elections and won two seats in the provincial assembly. Later in the year 1990, it won 3 seats and one of their members was given the prestige of being elected as an MNA from NA-198. 3 years later they won three national assembly seats. Since then they have been gaining popularity mainly to the Pashtun popularity with the agenda to give them the autonomy and equality that everyone else has.
National Awami Party
NAP is inspired by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who also known as Baacha Khan. Bacha Khan was the epitome of freedom and impartiality. His fight was against colonization, interventionism and he also stood against oppression. His approach stems from politics being social work. His desire was to rid the country of poverty. NAP stands for a political approach as an act close to serving the public, especially the poor and destitute. NAP promotes a peaceful approach to attain equal rights for all their citizens. They have even expressed desires to join forces with other forces in Pakistan.
Pasban
Registered with Election Commission of Pakistan, Pasban Pakistan means to guard and defend. It is a political party that stands for and fights against all the injustices in the country. Though it started off as a wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, it is now an independent political party running for elections in 2018. As an independent organization, Pasban works towards ensuring the grants of human rights. Lead by Altaf Shakoor, it speaks of the problems faced by the common men.
Qaumi Watan Party
Qaumi Watan Party works for the rights of the Pashtuns. From Pakistan Peoples Party–Sherpao, it became the Qaumi Watan Party in 2012. It is led by Aftab Ahmad Sherpao and Hayat Muhammad Khan Sherpao. In the year 2013, QWP was able to secure a flopping total of 10 seats in the National Assembly and in KPK. They were elected directly for at least 8 of them. This is what has allowed QWP to gain a lot of popular votes within the Pashtun community making it the fourth largest part in the province.
Barabri Party Pakistan
Initiated and led by Jawad Ahmad, Barabri party was established to ensure the formation of a democratic state. Their aim is to guarantee reasonable dissemination of wealth in an equal manner amongst the masses. It believes in the accumulation and distribution of resources so that the opportunities are made equally accessible to the masses without any sense of discrimination. The goal of the party is to rid the country of the boundaries of religion, race, gender, and ethnic affiliations. Though very small scaled, this party represents the oppressed. They express a desire to establish institutions and come up with policies that are applicable to all despite their backgrounds. There are a lot of individuals who intend to change the fate of the country with the elections of Pakistan. They have their own aims in lieu of their policies and a strong desire to ensure the fate of the country is met with a sense of equality and integrity, keeping the rights of the minorities and the masses in mind.