2022 Azadi March I
{{Short description|March Against Sharif Government}}
{{Other uses|Azadi march (disambiguation){{!}}Azadi march}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=May 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title = 2022 Azadi march I
| partof = 2022–2024 Pakistan political unrest
| image =
| caption =
| date = {{Start date and age|2022|05|25}} – 26 May 2022
| place = {{PAK}} Countrywide followed by marches to Islamabad, also
Demonstrations by Pakistani communities in Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Italy and many other countries
| coordinates =
| causes = * Khan's accusation on the government on regime change (not proven){{Cite web |title=Imran Khan accuses Biden administration for being involved in 'regime change conspiracy' |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/955089-imran-khan-accuses-biden-administration-for-being-involved-in-regime-change-conspiracy |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}
- Alleged US interference in Pakistan’s internal politics (not proven)
| status = Inconclusive
- Imran Khan calls off the march after two days.
| goals = * Overthrow of the Sharif government
- Dissolution of the National Assembly of Pakistan and announcement of general elections
- A snap election
| methods = Protesters:
- Sit-in
- Demonstrations
- Riots
- Protest
- strike action
- Civil disobedience
- Civil resistance
- Self-immolation
- Hashtag activism
- Online activism
- Stone pelting
Government and its supporters:
- Traffic blockage in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Traffic blockage in Islamabad
- Tear gas shelling
- Riot police
- Lathi charge
- Police raid on PTI activists and workers houses
- Mass arrest
- Transport restrictions
- Water cannon
| side1 = * First Shehbaz Sharif ministry
Supported by
| side2 = * PTI
Supported by
| leadfigures1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.svg}} Shehbaz Sharif (PMLN)
{{flagicon image|PMLN 2021 Flag.png}} Rana Sanaullah (PMLN)
{{flagicon image|PMLN 2021 Flag.png}} Maryam Nawaz (PMLN)
Supported by
{{flagicon image|Flag of Pakistan People's Party.svg}} Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (PPP)
{{flagicon image|PKMAP flag.PNG}} Mahmood Khan Achakzai (PkMAP)
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam.svg}} Fazal-ur-Rehman (JUI (F))
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Waseem Akhtar
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Khawaja Izharul Hassan
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Amir Khan
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Abdul Waseem (MQM-P)
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Faisal Subzwari
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Altaf Hussain
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Kamran Tessori
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Syed Aminul Haque
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Kunwar Naveed Jamil
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Sagheer Ahmad
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Nasreen Jalil
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Farooq Sattar
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.svg}} Khawaja Izharul Hassan
| leadfigures2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.svg}} Imran Khan (PTI)
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.svg}} Aamir Liaquat Hussain (PTI)
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.svg}} Shah Mahmood Qureshi (PTI)
Supported by
{{flagicon image|Awami Muslim League Pakistan flag.png}} Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad (AML)
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistan Muslim League.svg}} Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (PML(Q))
{{flagicon image|Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan - Flag.PNG}} Raja Nasir Abbas (MWM)
{{flagicon image|Grand Democratic Alliance flag.png}} Pir Pagaro (GDA)
{{flagicon image|Flag of MQM-Haqiqi.png}} Afaq Ahmed (MQM-H
| notes = Other protests {{Succession links|right=Azadi March II}}
}}
{{Imran Khan sidebar|expanded=Post-premiership}}
The 2022 Azadi March I ({{Langx|ur|آزادی مارچ|lit=Freedom March|translit=Āzādī Mārch}}) was a protest march initiated by the ousted former Pakistani prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party chairman Imran Khan against the government of his successor, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif. On 24 May 2022, Khan announced a long march towards Islamabad starting on 25 May 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1690955|title=PTI's long march to Islamabad on May 25: Imran Khan|first=Dawn com |last=Sirajuddin|date=May 22, 2022|website=DAWN.COM}} Khan lead the march from Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where his provincial government helped him. Senior PTI members lead the march from Lahore, the capital of Punjab, Pakistan.
Imran Khan asked people to reach the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad to support his demands for early elections. His workers would stay in Islamabad as required, for their only demand would be to give a date for clean and transparent general elections and to dissolve assemblies.{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/2358110/islamabad-braces-for-ptis-long-march-as-crackdown-intensifies|title=Islamabad braces for PTI's long march as crackdown intensifies|date=May 24, 2022|website=The Express Tribune}} Addressing the bureaucracy and the police, Khan said it would be illegal for them to take any action against the "peaceful protest". Addressing the Pakistan Army, he said "if you are neutral then be neutral too".{{Cite web | url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/959974-pti-long-march-on-wednesday-imran-warns-bureaucracy-police-against-creating-hurdles | title=PTI long march on Wednesday: Imran warns bureaucracy, police against creating hurdles }}{{Cite web | url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1691062 | title=Imran starts long march for 'real freedom' on 25th | date=23 May 2022 }} It was expected that the protest would involve around 2 million workers marching to Islamabad and that they would remain there until the election is declared. The protesters, led by Imran Khan, aimed to hold a sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad until the date for the dissolution of assemblies and a date for new general elections was announced.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1687583|title=Imran says long march towards Islamabad to take place in last week of May|date=April 30, 2022|website=DAWN.COM}} Imran Khan gave a six-day ultimatum to the government to declare elections and dissolve assemblies.
Background
In April 2022, Imran Khan was ousted as prime minister by a no-confidence motion, which he called a conspiracy of regime change initiated by the US government's Biden administration, the proof Imran Khan alleged was a "Cipher" which after a period of one year was leaked by an anonymous Pakistani military source to a US based News organization 'The Intercept'.
In his first interview with International media following his ouster, on CNN with Becky Anderson, he accused members of his party for "Jumping Ship" by being offered millions of dollars by US officials at the Embassy of the United States, Islamabad, thus weakening the Coalition Government in the National Assembly of Pakistan which mostly consisted of MNA's from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Imran Khan's Party) and other independent candidates and allied parties. Consequently, this made the no-confidence motion successful though only by only 2 votes (174 combined votes of the then Opposition parties in the National Assembly of Pakistan in favor of the no-confidence motion).
After his ouster, Khan continued pressuring the government to hold snap elections.
March
On 22 May, he called for his supporters to march to Islamabad on 25 May and said he would personally lead the Haqiqi Azadi ("complete freedom") march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the Srinagar Highway.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/959876-pti-chairman-imran-khan-announces-long-march-says-will-arrive-in-islamabad-on-may-25|title=PTI Chairman Imran Khan announces long march, says will arrive in Islamabad on May 25|website=www.thenews.com.pk}}{{Cite news|title=The Washington Post – Breaking news and latest headlines, U.S. news, world news, and video|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/|access-date=2022-12-03|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Ousted Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls for march on Islamabad |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/22/pakistans-ousted-pm-khan-calls-for-march-on-islamabad |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}
In the days following 25th May 'Punjab Police (Pakistan)' governed by the then Chief Minister 'Hamza Shahbaz' (Son of Shehbaz Sharif) initiated a crackdown on members of PTI's party and other popular figures in the country who stood by Imran Khan.Justice Nasira Iqbal's (daughter-in-law of Allama Iqbal) house was raided by 8 Punjab policemen at 02:00 am. The police jumped over the walls to enter her house without a warrant to arrest her son Walid Iqbal (PTI Senator). She was quoted as saying that, "This happens where anarchists are in power".{{Cite web |date=2022-05-24 |title=House of Allama Iqbal's daughter-in-law raided ahead of PTI's long march |url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/24-May-2022/house-of-allama-iqbal-s-daughter-in-law-raided-ahead-of-pti-s-long-march |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=Daily Pakistan Global |language=en}}
On the '
Hundreds of potential marchers were arrested in an alleged crackdown by the new Government of Pakistan.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan: Khan's party alleges hundreds arrested ahead of march |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/24/pakistan-arrests-hundreds-of-ex-pm-khan-supporters-ahead-of-march |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}} To prevent protestors from reaching the Srinagar Highway, Red Zone (Islamabad) and entering the capital, hundreds of containers were given to the Islamabad Police and a ban was placed on gatherings. The entrance towards the D-Chowk (Islamabad) was blocked by hundreds of personnel from the Capital Territory Police not allowing protestors to come close by launching tear gas shells at the protestors which included women, children, and families.{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-05-24 |title=Youth's responsibility to remove obstacles tomorrow: Imran |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1691286 |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en |quote=To prevent the marchers from entering the capital, hundreds of containers have been provided to Islamabad police while a ban has been imposed on gatherings under Section 144 (power to issue order absolute at once in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.}}
After dawn on 26th May, Imran Khan called off the March on Blue Area just 2.10 miles away from where the Police stood firing tear gas shells. In a later interview he said that the reason he called off the March was to avoid bloodshed since the people were ready to fight against the police.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Imran Khan}}
{{Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azadi march, 2022}}
Category:2022 in Pakistani politics
Category:Political career of Imran Khan
Category:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf