Who are the main players in Pakistan’s July election?

More than a hundred parties are taking part in elections 2018 but Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are the leading parties that are expected to form the next government.

Other parties including the Karachi-based Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), originally formed by Urduspeaking migrants from India known as Mohajirs; leading religious parties including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUIF), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI); secular parties Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP); Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q, are also among key to any coalition government.

There’s also Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) an alliance of religious political parties such as JUIF, JI, Jamiat Ahle-e-Hadith, Islami Tehreek and others but it is hardly to affect the traditional vote bank.