The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) Urdu: پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ق)‎; Pekistan Mislam Lig (Q), Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ) is a centrist to centre-right-nationalist political party in Pakistan. As of the 2018 parliamentary election, it has a representation of 5 seats. It previously served as an ally of former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf’s government, and led a joint election campaign in 2013 alongside Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Punjab and Balochistan provinces against its rival Pakistan Muslim League (N), a fiscally conservative and centre-right force.

Its leadership and members were once part of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) presided by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1997 general elections, political differences arose that ultimately led to the creation of a faction inside the party. The dissidents, led by Shujaat Hussain, called for strong and vocal support for the 1999 military coup d’état staged and led by then-Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Pervez Musharaff. In 2002, dissident leaders launched the party, focused on President Pervez Musharraf’s government. It later became an integral part of Musharraf’s government and appointed their own Prime minister, Shaukat Aziz.

Dissident leader Shujaat Hussain was named party president, and the party’s focus turned to drawing in PML-N voters. Further advantage was taken by Musharraf, who granted opportunities to the party with a goal of exclusive support of the government and to diminish the public support of Sharif.

The emergence of PML-N as the largest opposition party after the 2008 elections led to a significant collapse of PML-Q’s influence.^[4] The party suffered many setbacks thereafter when its membership began to disintegrate after forming a separate bloc with close association with the PML-N, including the Like-Minded and Avami League blocs and second, the former president’s bloc.^[4] Senior members joined PML-N, while the junior leadership defected to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).^[4]

In September 2010, PML-Q joined the similar ideological faction, PML-F, forming the Pakistan Muslim League (Pir Pagara), but this was short-lived when in May 2011 the party joined the Yousaf Raza Gillani led-government to fulfill the gap left by its rival PML-N.^[5][6] However, the party announced its resignation from the Parliament, citing the failure of the Pakistan Peoples Party to resolve the energy crisis as the reason, which had direct impact on the federal government. The situation become better by giving relief in fuel prices on 15 June 2012.^[7]