On Sunday, February 8, Pakistan will observe a rare national strike in opposition to the policies of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government and to demand the immediate release of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The strike is called by Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan or TTAP), an alliance of various parties led by the country’s main opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).

The strike will coincide with the second anniversary of the 2024 National Assembly elections which PTI and others claim were rigged against PTI.

Read more: Political turmoil continues in Pakistan despite power sharing deal among establishment parties

The TTAP is declaring February 8 as a day to register their opposition to the suppression of democracy and launch of mass atrocities against opposition forces, claimed Ammar Ali Jan, leader of the Haqook-e-Khalq (HKP) in a press conference on February 2.

HKP, Labour Qaumi Movement, along with other left groups have joined the TTAP and are participating in Sunday’s strike.

The parties calling for the strike have been campaigning all across the country for greater participation of common people in the mobilization. Rallies, public meetings, door to door campaigns, and conventions are underway to increase awareness about the issues at stake.

A strike in defense of democracy

The primary demand of organizers for the national mobilization on February 8 is the immediate release of former prime minister Imran Khan from jail and the withdrawal of all charges against him.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and faces hundreds of cases, mostly related to alleged corruption during his time as prime minister (2018-2022). The government has blocked his release despite the fact that he has been granted bail and even been acquitted in several cases. Government officials have cited “pending cases” as the reason to keep him imprisoned.

Khan and his supporters have claimed that most of the cases against him are based on trumped-up charges and his continued incarceration is illegal. The cases are part of the current political establishment’s plan, which is also backed by the military, to keep Khan away from public life, TTAP claims.

The other major demands of the strike include an end to attacks on democratic freedoms guaranteed in the country’s constitution, such as freedom of expression and right to protest.

In addition to Khan and scores of PTI leaders, left political leaders, human rights activists, and journalists have also been arrested and jailed in Pakistan. In several cases, arrests were made in response to outlandish charges of terrorism and sedition, PTI and TTAP claim. Some activists are also jailed over alleged violations of the country’s Prevention of Electronics Crimes Act (PECA).

Activists such as Mahrang Baloch and Ali Wazir, who have been fighting against enforced disappearances of innocent civilians from Balochistan or Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) provinces have been arrested over charges of terrorism and sedition.

Wazir is a former member of Pakistan’s National Legislative Assembly and the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). He has been in and out of jail for decades now.

Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were sentenced to 17 years in prison last month for tweeting criticisms of the state’s repressive actions in Balochistan and other provinces.

Other key demands of the strike

The TTAP and allied groups are also calling for better protection of the rights of the working class in the country which have come under attack due to growing business and political nexus in the country, claimed left leader Ammar Ali Jan.

The strike also seeks to raise the issue of Pakistan’s withdrawal from the so-called Board of Peace constituted and led by US President Donald Trump, as part of the so-called peace process in Gaza.

Pakistan was one of the 60 countries invited by Trump to join the so-called board. Most of the countries invited have expressed reservations or stayed away with some claiming it may undermine the authority of the UN.

Pakistan has officially opposed Israeli genocide in Gaza and calls for persecution of its leadership for war crimes. However, it was one of the first countries to join the Board of Peace where Israel has also been invited and there is no Palestinian representation.

Common Pakistanis have been protesting the government’s move to join the board. TTAP called it a disregard to the will of the nation.

Ali Jan and HKP have termed Pakistan’s joining of the board a “moral and political catastrophe” which will strengthen the occupation of Gaza.

HKP and TTAP organized a national convention on Gaza on Wednesday reiterating the demand of Pakistan’s withdrawal from the so-called the Board.

Pakistan’s joining of the board “betrays the struggle and resistance of the Palestinian people and deviates from long-standing policy on Palestine,” said Haider Butt, lawyer and HKP leader in a post on X.

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