Pakistan Muslim League – Zia

Pakistan Muslim League – Zia (PML–Z),^[a] informally referred to as the Zia League,^[b] is a Pakistani political party with a right-wing political position and an Islamist and Ziaist ideology. Named after Zia-ul-Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan, the party is headquartered in Bahawalnagar and led by Zia's son Ijaz-ul-Haq.

AbbreviationPML–Z

LeaderIjaz-ul-Haq

FoundedOctober 2002; 23 years ago (2002-10)

HeadquartersBahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan

Quick facts Abbreviation, Leader ...

Pakistan Muslim League – Zia پاکستان مسلم لیگ – ضیاء
Abbreviation	PML–Z
Leader	Ijaz-ul-Haq
Founded	October 2002; 23 years ago (2002-10)
Headquarters	Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan
Ideology	Ziaism
Political position	Right-wing to far-right[1]
Colors	Green
Senate	0 / 96
National Assembly	1 / 336
Punjab Assembly	1 / 371
Election symbol
Helicopter
Party flag
Website
www.pmlzia.com
Politics of Pakistan Political parties Elections

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The party was founded in 2002 by Zia's son Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq. With the 2002 general elections, Ijaz won his National Assembly seat and merged with the Pervez Musharraf-endorsed Pakistan Muslim League (Q).^[2] It gained the federal religious affairs ministry under Haq. After PML-Q was routed following the general elections of 2008, PML-Z separated from the larger party in February 2010.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2010, PML–Zia successfully contested by-elections held in Bahawalnagar for Member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly, upsetting the Pakistan Peoples Party.^[3] During the 2010 Pakistan floods, the party also came to national attention for distributing relief goods worth millions of rupees in Southern Punjab.^[4][2]

On 9 October 2011, PML–Zia became the only party to support the PML-N's threat to dissolve the Punjab Assembly and pre-empt the PPP's expected victory in the 2012 Senate elections.^[5] In the general elections in 2013, PML–Z contested two seats and won again from NA-191 Bahawalnagar in the National Assembly, and two seats in the Punjab Assembly. Haq's constituency NA-191 recorded the highest voter turnout in the country for 2013.^[6]

On 19 March 2023, party leader Ijaz-ul-Haq along with his party members was reported to have joined PTI after meeting with Imran Khan. It was also reported that PML–Zia was merged into PTI.^[7][8] It was later on 29 May, that he denied the rumours of PML–Zia getting merged into PTI.^[9][10]