| Haqeeqi Azadi Movement | |
| Subtitle: | True freedom |
| Date: | 9 April 2022 - Present |
| Place: | Pakistan |
| Causes: | |
| Goals: | |
The Haqeeqi Azadi Movement (Urdu: حقیقی آزادی) is a political movement started by Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, after he was sacked from his office on 9 April 2022. The opposition joined hands to submit a no-confidence motion against the former prime minister in March 2022, and they were deemed successful by managing to secure 172 votes, enough to oust a sitting prime minister.[9]
The motion from the surface looked like a normal democratic exercise, however it is widely believed that the military establishment, backed by the influence of the United States government, had a prominent role in the ousting of Imran Khan, evident by the report of The Intercept in August 2023 which published a leaked copy of the cable, which it claimed to have received from a disgruntled member of Pakistan's military.[10]
After the day of ousting, supporters of Imran Khan in large numbers took to the streets as a solidarity protest, which kickstarted the current movement, which have been convoluted as one of the longest political crises in the history of Pakistan.
The term "Haqeeqi-Azadi" was first coined in May 22, 2022, when Imran Khan declared that he will lead Azadi March towards Islamabad dubbed "freedom march" in English terminology. [11] As the tension grew between establishment and Imran Khan, the choice of words also started to feel more belligerent. It was not until the second Azadi March, the term "freedom march" or "Azadi March" turned into a "True Freedom" as evident by Imran Khan's statement on October 28, 2022.[12]