The 2022 Haqeeqi Azadi March () was a month-long march from October 28 to November 26, 2022 led by

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

, former

prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

, from

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

against the Shehbaz Sharif ministry. It succeeded 2022 Azadi march, which took place in May. There was an attempted assassination of Imran Khan in Wazirabad on 3 November, which caused an eight-day pause to the march. On November 27, Khan called off the march and said he would not continue to

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. Instead, Khan announced the resignation of PTI from all assemblies and pushed for the dissolution of the provincial assemblies of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

to force early elections.

March

The term Haqeeqi Azadi ("true freedom") was first used in May 22, 2022, when Imran Khan declared that he would lead the first Azadi March towards Islamabad, dubbed the "freedom march" in English terminology. It was not until the second march that the term "freedom march" or "Azadi March" turned into Haqiqi Azadi March as evident by Imran Khan's statement on October 28, 2022.

Timeline

* October 5: Imran Khan tasks party lawmakers with preparing protestors. * October 25: Khan announces a long march will begin on 28 October, and will end in

before turning into a

sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...

. * October 28: PTI finishes preperations for the Haqeeqi Azadi Long March. * October 30: Channel 5 reporter Sadaf Naeem died after being fatally crushed by a container while covering the march as it headed towards

Kamoke Kamoke (Urdu: ''کامونکی'') is a city in the Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan. It ranks as the 30th largest city in Pakistan according to the 2023 census with a population of 292,023. Kamoke is known for its prominent rice market, being one of ...

. As a result, Imran Khan announced the march would be halted for a day. * October 31: Imran Khan says he is in dialogue with

the establishment In sociology and in political science, the term the establishment describes the dominant social group, the elite who control a polity, an organization, or an institution. In the Praxis (process), praxis of wealth and Power (social and politica ...

, also confirmed by Pervez Elahi who said backdoor dialogue was underway. * November 3: Imran Khan shot at by an attacker at

Wazirabad Wazirabad (Urdu/) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative capital of Wazirabad District (formerly a Tehsil of Gujranwala District). Famous for its cutlery products, it is known as the city of cutlery and is also quite famous f ...

, sustained a leg injury. Khan was shifted to Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore. * November 6: Khan announced the long march would resume on 8 November. * November 7: PTI announces the long march will resume on 10 November. * November 10: The march resumed, Chief Minister

Pervaiz Elahi Chaudhry Parvez Elahi Warraich (Urdu, ; born 1 November 1945) is a Pakistani politician who was the Chief Minister of Punjab from late 2002 to late 2007 and again from late 2022 to early 2023. He was a member of the Provincial Assembly of ...

announced security measures including drones, CCTV, bullet-proof materials, and the deployment of police commandos. * November 11: Under

Shah Mehmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi (; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He had been a Parliament of Pakistan from Augu ...

, marchers moved from Ramtali Chowk to

Lalamusa Lala Musa (; ; ), is a city, located in the Kharian tehsil of Gujrat district, in Punjab, Pakistan. With a population of 121,036 in 2023, it is the 66th largest city in Punjab and 99th largest in Pakistan. History Toponymy According to local ...

Gujrat District Gujrat ( Punjabi, ) is a district of Gujrat Division in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The Gujrat District was created by the British Government in 1846. According to the 2023 Pakistani census the population of the Gujrat District is 3,219 ...

. * November 12: ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Lakson Group'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Intern ...

'' reported a return to normalcy as PTI protests and sit-ins on major highways ended. * November 19: Imran Khan via a video link from

Zaman Park Zaman Park () is a neighborhood in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. History Zaman Park, named after Khan Bahadur Mohammad Zaman Khan, the Post Master General of Punjab in British India until 1943-44, wasn't always known by this name. Earlier maps la ...

called on supporters to assemble in

on 26 November, saying protests would not end until early elections.

Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory is a federal territory of Pakistan, centred around Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is located on the northern edge of the Pothohar Plateau, at the foot of the Margalla Hills, in the northwest of the ...

(ICT) administration granted permission for a PTI rally from Koral to Rawat. * November 26: Addressing a crowd in Rehmanabad, Khan announced that PTI would resign from all assemblies, * November 27: Khan called off the protest and announced he would not move forward to Islamabad.

Stop points

Shahdara Bagh Shahdara Bagh (; meaning “''King’s Way Garden”'') is a historic precinct located across the Ravi River from the Walled City of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. Shahdara Bagh is the site of several Mughal-era monuments, including the Tomb of J ...

(

) 29 October 2022 *

Muridke Muridke (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ), is a city and headquarters of Muridke Tehsil of Sheikhupura District in Punjab Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 37th largest city of Pakistan by population. M ...

30 October 2022 *

31 October 2022 *

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

1–2 November 2022 *

3 November 2022 * Gujrat 11 November 2022 * Lala Musa 11 November 2022 *

26 November 2022

Incidents

Sadaf Naeem death

On 30 October 2022, Sadaf Naeem, a journalist for a Pakistani news TV channel died in an accident while trying to cover the march in close proximity. She tried to climb Khan's truck and lost her balance, fell on the ground, and was accidentally run-over by Khan's vehicle. She was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. On her death,

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

's leadership expressed shock and grief. Imran Khan announced a stop to his Azadi March for the day. He also visited her residence in order to offer condolences to her family. The PTI wished for appointment of a new COAS.

Assassination attempt on Imran Khan

On 3 November, while giving a speech to his supporters, shots were fired by unidentified gunmen at Khan's container-mounted-truck. According to an aide of Khan, the truck was fired at six times. A Khan supporter by the name of Ibtisam tried to tackle the gunman. One other supporter was shot dead attempting to tackle the shooter. In total, nine people were injured, including Imran Khan and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Faisal Javed Khan, and one person was killed. Khan was shot in the shin and thigh on the right leg and was transferred to

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) is a cancer centre with locations in Lahore and Peshawar, and an upcoming branch in Karachi, Pakistan. SKMCH&RC Lahore was the first project of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial ...

in Lahore, where he underwent treatment. His doctor, Faisal Sultan, said that X-rays and scans showed bullet fragments lodged in Khan's legs, and that his

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

was fractured. A leader of the PTI said that his condition was stable. He was then discharged from the hospital on the 6th of November.

References

{{Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf 2022 protests 2022 in Pakistani politics October 2022 in Pakistan November 2022 in Pakistan Protest marches in Pakistan Protests in Pakistan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Political career of Imran Khan 2022–2023 Pakistan political unrest