Qaumi Watan Party

Qaumi Watan Party (Urdu: قومی وطن پارٹی), commonly abbreviated as QWP, is a centre-left, progressive political party in Pakistan that advocates for Pashtun nationalism, social democracy, and provincial autonomy within a federal constitutional framework. The party has its political roots in the Pakistan Peoples Party–Sherpao faction formed in 1999, and was rebranded as Qaumi Watan Party in 2012 by its founder and current chairman, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao — a veteran politician and twice-elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The party's ideological base lies in representing the socio-political and economic aspirations of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially the Pashtun population in the Malakand region, the merged tribal districts (formerly FATA), and parts of northern Balochistan. QWP promotes a peaceful, inclusive, and democratic Pakistan by calling for full implementation of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, provincial ownership of resources, increased public spending on health and education, and an end to militancy through political dialogue and developmental justice.

Qaumi Watan Party has participated in multiple provincial governments, most notably as a coalition partner with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2013 to 2014 and again from 2015 to 2018. In 2020, the party joined the opposition alliance known as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), where Aftab Sherpao holds a senior vice-presidential role. Although it did not win any seats in the 2018 general elections, QWP continues to play an active role in provincial and national discourse, particularly on issues of constitutional federalism, minority rights, and regional peace.