Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was formed in 1996 by Imran Khan and has had many movement cycles of contestation and political protest, which have impressed the political climate of Pakistan. In the past several years, PTI has staged many rallies to protest against the political system, highlight corrupt practices, press for reforms in the electoral process, and, in recent decades, protest against the state authority itself. However, the PTI and its chief, Imran Khan, were repeatedly involved in citizen protests, which were not only political demonstrations but served multiple purposes, including those about its broader reformation plan for Pakistan’s political and bureaucratic systems. Since the post-2018 period, PTI’s protests have been large-scale, emotionally charged, and sometimes physically violent.
Protests within PTI were on the rise after the party came to power in 2018; however, the most iconic and blameworthy protest events were in 2022-2023, especially on May 9, 2023. The PTI’s current protests that began in November 2024 depict increasing political polarization in the country even further.
Protests of PTI (1996-2007)
When Imran Khan created the PTI in 1996, he planned to give the Pakistani people an option he saw as composed of corrupt and unresponsive politicians. In the beginning, PTI did not comprise a strong opposition, and the party’s early demonstrations were not large-scale or backed by the country’s citizens. It was more productive than previous ones because most aimed to demand electoral reforms, governance accountability, and other related reforms. Due to the influence of absolute regime agencies and traditional political parties like the PPP and the PML-N, PTI remained unheard of for a long time, and the military further influenced Pakistan’s political structure.
During the rule of military General Pervez Musharraf between 1999 and 2008, PTI’s opposition to dictatorship started to become popular, with the party still being relatively small. PTI backed the Lawyers’ Movement in the pursuit of the independence of the judiciary, hence supporting the larger struggle for democracy. However, the PTI protested during this period more in favor of restoring democracy than against the incumbent regime.
The 2011-2013 Mobilization: The Turning Point
PTI became more active with street power in 2011 when Imran became more of a handful of Pakistani politicians. PTI convened the first mass rally in Lahore, marking the party’s evolution into one of Pakistan’s prominent political actors. This rally, which had mobilized tens of thousands of people, proved that PTI’s message was being heard by Pakistan’s urban youth and middle class. PTI became famous because its chief, Imran Khan, belonged to an anti-corruption political party and was not involved in Pakistani politics until 2012.
Naya Pakistan protests over electoral rigging were much in the run-up to the 2013 elections. In the 2013 general elections, PTI accused the PPP and PML(N) of rigging the polls and demanded fresh elections and the resignation of then PM Nawaz Sharif. This demand led to a series of protests, including a sit-in in Islamabad in 2014.
The 2014 Islamabad Dharna
PTI drew much attention by conducting the long protest sit-in. Imran Khan led thousands of people to Islamabad’s capital in 2014 to ask Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down by alleging electoral fraud in the 2013 election. This sit-down developed into a rally that lasted for over one hundred days. It faced a confrontation between PTI activists and the government, and communities turned to violent protests. While it did not garner success in achieving its political agenda instantly, the protest was vital for PTI to come into the mainstream opposition league in Pakistan.
By holding the Dharna in 2014, PTI has once again ensured that the party was determined to give it to the political elite. It also proved that it can coordinate activities and intends to extend its support to the youth – especially in urban areas.
Pakistani PM Imran Khan, His Political Emergence, And Demonstration In 2018-2022
PTI Formed a New Government in Pakistan in the General Election held in 2018, where Imran Khan was sworn in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. However, PTI’s protests did not stop. Even in the election year, PTI intensified the process of boycotting the Provincial Assembly. Instead, it has developed to protect its government from other parties who alleged that the 2018 polls were manipulated. PTI’s government was also criticized for poor economic planning, sore inflation rates, and some aspects of foreign policies, particularly about India and Afghanistan.
Experienced political instability (PTI) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was in the government from 2018 to 2022. It faced many opposition leaders storms, especially from PPP and PML-N political parties, regarding incompetence, mismanagement, and authoritarianism. PTI reciprocated this by mobilizing public support for its governance and referring to the corrupt practices of the opposition parties.
May 9, 2023
PTI protest can be counted from the Dharna of the party, which began on May 9, 2023, and this event became a turning point in the leadership of Imran Khan and the historical narrative of PTI. In April, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, lost the no-confidence motion and was removed from the premiership; on May 9, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested by NAB on corruption charges. The arrest was preceded by several months of legal proceedings involving shedding corruption charges, terrorism, and misuse of state funds. Many PTI supporters were angered, and we were able to note that his arrest was politically motivated and seen as a part of regime change.
Ant-Khan's arrest protests were carried out all over the country after the news became sensational all over the world. These were protests for Khan’s release and the PTI’s vision of “absolute freedom against the perceived increase in the military complexion within the country. The PTI’s angriest protest was on May 9, 2023, and included some of the party’s most violent elements involving the destruction of military property, government structures, and public facilities. The size and intensity of the protests surprised the country and caused armed forces to intervene in the unrest.
The students’ protests on May 9 were probably the largest in Pakistan recently. They represented a significant division within the country and broke the social/political interaction between PTI and the military. Some party leaders were arrested, and the government took more measures, such as declaring some areas under curfew and closing down the internet connection. As a political party, the PTI reached the climax of its struggle against Pakistan’s ‘corrupt and illegitimate’ political system on May 9, 2023.
The Events In 2023 And Continuing Protests (2023-2024)
After the May 9 events, PTI witnessed severe repression by the state. The risk threat that came to PML (N) was felt keenly in the person of Imran Khan, whose leadership was threatened by many party leaders defecting from the party due to violence. Some of them were arrested later, while PTI was declared as a politically inactive group to conduct any rallies in different cities. The state soon launched a massive operation to disrupt PTI’s organizing and any other demonstration event it could plan.
However, PTI’s support reservoir was least affected by these impediments. Later, in 2023, PTI did not cease organized protests, but those seemed more disjointed and were met with even greater police crackdowns. The party urged its supporters and the international community to continue demanding the release of Khan, perceiving that the military was still involved in politics and wanting democracy. Under the pressure of decreasing permits to hold more significant rallies, PTI has gone more underground with its protests employing social media and intimate assemblies.
As of November 2024, PTI’s protests are primarily centered around two key demands: the exit of Imran Khan and the return of real democracy. These demonstrations have been ruthless with the government, while the latter still characterizes PTI as a disruptive element in Pakistan’s political arena. Both houses of Parliament and government seem to surrender their authority to the military, making military politics a primary focus in framing PTI.
The protests that took place in 2024 under the PTI are also against military dictation and oppression of democracy. The party holds numerous meetings and demonstrations all over the country’s territory, especially in large cities where it still has many supporters among students and representatives of the middle class.
Conclusion
The protest history of PTI is, in fact, a story of increasing assertiveness, political activism, organized opposition to the traditional political parties, and a perpetual call for change for a ‘new Pakistan.’ Since its inception, PTI has mainly strategically employed protests for political change – whether for electoral fractal changes or massive sit-ins and demonstrations in the 2010s. The May 9, 2023 protest prepared a significant leap towards civil uprising, destabilizing Pakistan and dramatically shifting the party’s turn.
Since November 2024, PTI has been an essential player on Pakistan’s various political maps, but its unending protest politics remains its connection to the state. The question remains: If the opposition and the Establishment join forces, will the PTI be able to bring Imran Khan back to power, and what will be the nature of the political struggle between the military, the opposition, and the PTI in the coming years? Pakistan’s democracy remains on the brink, and PTI’s role in the prospective future is still unknown. PTI demonstrations will soon be an inevitable minimum of Pakistan’s political existence.
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