D-Chowk Dharna | |||
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Part of the Israel–Hamas war protests | |||
Date | 13 May - 22 June 2024 (1 month and 2 weeks) | ||
Location | |||
Caused by | Israel–Hamas war | ||
Methods | Demonstrations, sit-ins, marches | ||
Resulted in | Successful Negotiations with Government (See Demands) [1] | ||
Parties | |||
Lead figures | |||
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Casualties and losses | |||
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Protests resulted in clashes with police and a tragic incident where a car ran over protesters. |
The D Chowk Dharna was a series of protests that took place at D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan, organized by the Save Gaza Campaign. [3] [4] [5] [6] The protests were held in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with participants demanding decisive action from the Pakistani government and the international community. [7] [8] [9]
On the 27th day of the sit-in to express love for Palestine and Gaza, D Chowk was renamed Gaza Chowk. It was appealed to the public that now D Chowk will be written, said and called Gaza Chowk. The board of Gaza Chowk was unveiled. [10]
On May 21, 2024, an incident occurred during a protest where a speeding car ran over participants of the protest who were sleeping on a portion of Jinnah Avenue, resulting in two deaths and four injuries, including a police inspector. [11] [12] The driver, identified as a lieutenant in the Pakistan Army and son of a brigadier, was later arrested and handed over to the Military Police for legal proceedings. [13] [14] [15]
Protesters clashed with the police on several occasions. In one instance, protesters attempted to enter Islamabad's red zone, leading to clashes with police. The police lathi-charged the protestors as a result of which some protestors were injured. In response, the protesters pelted stones at the police. [9]
The Islamabad Police booked over 350 protesters, including former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, on several charges. The allegations included pelting stones at law enforcement officials and threatening them with dire consequences. [3] Despite these actions, protesters continued their demonstrations, staged sit-ins and announced plans for future protests. [4] [9]
The protests gained public attention and support. Various groups including the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) joined the protests. [16] Protesters organized a hike in Islamabad to demand concrete steps for a ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of a humanitarian aid corridor. [8] The protesters also demanded Pakistan to take decisive action for immediate international intervention and increase pressure for an immediate ceasefire. [7]
In a joint video released on Saturday night, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, assured that the following demands from the Save Gaza Campaign would be met soon. [17]
Pakistan–Palestine relations refer to the bilateral relations between Islamic Republic of Pakistan and State of Palestine. The Palestinian Authority established an embassy in Islamabad on 31 January 2017. Pakistan remains a staunch supporter of the proposal for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and in line with its pro-Palestinian doctrine, does not recognize the State of Israel. However, the former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, stated that Pakistan will recognize Israel's sovereignty if the latter withdraws its forces from the Israeli-occupied territories and allows an independent Palestinian state to be established within the Green Line that served as the international border between Israel and the Palestinian territories from the First Arab–Israeli War of 1948 to the Third Arab–Israeli War of 1967. Pakistan frequently provides various forms of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen is a Pakistani Shi'a Islamic political organization. Its headquarters are in Islamabad. MWM Pakistan works to establish an Islamic democratic welfare state, particularly emphasising Shi'a-Sunni unity.
The 2014 Tsunami March, also called the Azadi movement, was a protest march in Pakistan from 14 August to 17 December 2014. The march was organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, opposing Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif over claims of systematic election-rigging by the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) in the 2013 general election that was later order for reelection and PTI won one out of three seats from the four claimed seats. Party leader Imran Khan had announced plans for an August march from Lahore to Islamabad with a group of protesters in a PTI jalsa (demonstration) in Bahawalpur on 27 June 2014. On 17 December, a day after the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, Khan called off the protest.
The Inqilab March was a public protest by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, against the Pakistani government of Nawaz Sharif. It took place from August to September 2014.
D-Chowk, and sometimes referred to as Democracy Chowk, recently renamed by public as Gaza Chowk, is a large town square located on the junction of Jinnah Avenue and Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is located in the government district, close to several important government buildings: the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Parliament, and the Supreme Court.
2017 Faizabad sit-in was organized by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). It started a protest on November 8, 2017, and set up camp at the Faizabad Interchange contesting changes in the Elections Bill 2017 in which the word oath changed to declaration. The protesters demanded the resignation of Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid to "protect the identity of the country."
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The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement is a social movement for Pashtun human rights based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. It was founded in May 2014 by eight students in Dera Ismail Khan. On 1 February 2018, the name of the movement was changed from "Mahsud Tahafuz Movement" to "Pashtun Tahafuz Movement."
Mohsin Javed Dawar is a Pakistani politician who is the chairman of the National Democratic Movement (NDM). He had been a member of the National Assembly from August 2018 till August 2023. He is the co-founder of a human rights movement, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). He has formerly served as president of the National Youth Organisation (NYO) and the Pashtun Students Federation (PSF), the allied wings of the Awami National Party (ANP).
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Noor Islam Dawar was a Pashtun human rights activist from North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He was an activist in the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), as well as the chairman of a civil society organization, Youth of Waziristan (YOW).
The 2022 Azadi March I 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 Shehbaz Sharif. On 24 May 2022, Khan announced a long march towards Islamabad starting on 25 May 2022. 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.
Progressive Students Federation (PrSF) is a left-wing socialist students’ organisation based in Pakistan. PrSF was formed in 2014 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but was later joined various factions of National Students Federation in Punjab and Sindh. The organisation has mobilised students and youth all over Pakistan for democratisation of campuses, restoration of student unions and universal education.
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Following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war on 7 October 2023, the United Kingdom has provided Israel with extensive military and diplomatic support. In response to the 7 October attacks, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted that the United Kingdom "unequivocally" stands with Israel. The UK also issued an "unequivocal condemnation" of Palestinian militant group Hamas and deployed British Armed Forces personnel and assets to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel.
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