The Awami Muslim League was formed in 2008 by the enigmatic Political leader Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. The party’s main election constituency is NA-55 of Rawalpindi from where Sheikh Rasheed contested and won in the 2013 elections. Shaikh Rasheed is a veteran of Pakistani politics and has enjoyed a successful political career spanning over 2 decades .
Shaikh Rasheed won his first seat in 1985. Since then he has been elected for the national assembly eight times, which is a record. He has been a part of big political parties like PML-N and PML-Q. Sheikh Rasheed is famous for his straightforward style of speaking and for his interesting political predictions. He is a very popular figure on various television networks.
The Awami Muslim league rose to prominence on the basis of its leader Shaikh Rasheed who is very popular in his hometown Rawalpindi and is known as the Farzand or son of Rawalpindi. The party formed a strategic alliance with Imran Khans PTI during the 2013 elections but has been criticized for being a One Man Show as it revolves around Shaikh Rasheed.
Indeed much of the other members of the party are not known very well and this has been the reason why the party has not been able to spread its influence. Analysts say that if this trend continues, the personality of Shaikh Rasheed alone may not be able to sustain the party for much longer and that it should look to induct more politically mature people in its ranks.