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.

The political roots of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) trace back to 1999, when Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a two-time Chief Minister of the then North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), parted ways with PPP following internal disagreements with the party’s central leadership under Benazir Bhutto. In response to mounting ideological and strategic differences, Sherpao launched his own faction under the banner of Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao) or PPP–S.

PPP–S contested the 2002 general elections and secured representation both at the national and provincial levels. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party emerged as a regional political force, winning several provincial assembly seats, mostly from Charsadda District, Swat District, Mardan District, and surrounding Pashtun-majority areas. In the 2008 elections, PPP–S retained its influence in KP, further solidifying Sherpao’s political base in the region.

On 17 October 2012, Aftab Sherpao officially renamed PPP–S as the Qaumi Watan Party, reflecting a strategic shift away from traditional Bhutto-era socialist politics toward a more indigenous, nationalist, and federalist outlook. The rebranding was meant to emphasize the party’s commitment to the rights of marginalized provinces, especially KP and the then-Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

The newly adopted party flag — a tricolor of red, black, green, and white — was intended to represent revolution, resistance, peace, and unity, respectively. The change was also symbolic of the party's repositioning as a pro-Pashtun, pro-federation force that advocates for civilian supremacy, inclusive governance, and equitable resource distribution.

In the 2013 general elections, QWP won 10 seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and entered into a coalition government with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which had emerged as the single largest party in KP. Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao, the son of Aftab Sherpao, was appointed as Senior Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs.