- Opposition alliance calls for countrywide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike to mark second anniversary of 2024 elections
- KP CM confirms preparations for ‘countrywide movement’ and “a formal call would soon be issued’
- Alliance forms central and provincial committees to coordinate nationwide movement
- Demands neutral Chief Election Commissioner and reconstitution of ECP, calling for probe into Feb 8 elections
- Condemns judicial interference, political victimization, and media suppression, demanding release of prisoners, including Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and PTI leaders
ISLAMABAD: The main opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), on Sunday announced a nationwide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike on February 8, 2026, coinciding with the second anniversary of the 2024 general elections that brought the current PML-N government to power. The move follows remarks by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who confirmed that preparations for a countrywide movement are underway and that “a formal call would soon be issued.”
Addressing a high-level conference in Islamabad, TTAP leaders stressed that the country needed a new Charter of Democracy more than ever before. To coordinate nationwide efforts, the alliance decided to form a central committee led by Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, with Haleem Adil Sheikh, Zain Shah, and others tasked to establish provincial and district-level committees.
The TTAP also announced plans to organise conferences at all provincial headquarters and actively engage bar councils, civil society, and the public in campaigns for the restoration of the Constitution, rule of law, and democratic governance.
تحریک تحفظ آئین پاکستان کی دو روزہ قومی مشاورتی کانفرنس کا اعلامیہ جاری کر دیا گیا۔ کانفرنس میں ملک بھر سے سیاسی جماعتوں، سول سوسائٹی، وکلا، صحافیوں اور مختلف طبقات نے بھرپور شرکت کی۔ اعلامیے میں شفاف اور غیر جانبدار انتخابات، نئے چیف الیکشن کمشنر کی تقرری، 8 فروری کے انتخابات… pic.twitter.com/swX7Jj1FhY
— Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (@TTAP_OFFICIAL) December 21, 2025
Those present at Sunday’s conference included TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, PTI leaders Asad Qaiser and Salman Akram Raja, Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Akhtar Mengal, and other prominent political figures.
CM Afridi, who attended the event, said the preparations were being carried out under the directives of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, adding, “We will meet every person and tell them to wait for the second call. We will go to Rawalpindi, Lahore, KP, and other parts of the country.”
تحریک تحفظ آئین پاکستان کی دو روزہ قومی مشاورتی کانفرنس کا اعلامیہ جاری کر دیا گیا۔ کانفرنس میں ملک بھر سے سیاسی جماعتوں، سول سوسائٹی، وکلا، صحافیوں اور مختلف طبقات نے بھرپور شرکت کی۔ اعلامیے میں شفاف اور غیر جانبدار انتخابات، نئے چیف الیکشن کمشنر کی تقرری، 8 فروری کے انتخابات… pic.twitter.com/HLXR2l9L7d
— Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (@TTAP_OFFICIAL) December 21, 2025
The conference declaration emphasised that democracy cannot thrive without free and fair elections. TTAP demanded the immediate appointment of a neutral Chief Election Commissioner, reconstitution of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and an independent investigation into the February 8 elections to identify and punish “responsible personalities.”
عمران خان صرف پاکستان ہی نہیں امت مسلمہ کا بھی لیڈر ہے عمران خان کی بیوی بشریٰ بی بی کو صرف اس لیے ٹارچر کیا جا رہا ہے تاکہ عمران خان کو توڑا جا سکے ۔
شوکت بسرا pic.twitter.com/H3RkU6zWI3
— Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (@TTAP_OFFICIAL) December 21, 2025
Participants criticised the judiciary, alleging that the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments had weakened judicial independence. They claimed conscientious judges, including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Athar Minallah, and Lahore High Court Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza, were forced out, and remaining judges sidelined. Most recently, action against Islamabad High Court Judge Tariq Jahangiri over a fake degree was condemned, with the conference calling for a judiciary restored under the original 1973 Constitution.
سہراب برکت آغا شیخ سرور اور غلام علی یہ تین صحافی پابند سلاسل ہیں جبکہ کئی صحافیوں سے روزگار چھین لیا گیا ۔
صدیق جان pic.twitter.com/ZMyDpb3clc
— Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (@TTAP_OFFICIAL) December 21, 2025
TTAP also condemned the convictions against Imran Khan and his wife, highlighting the “inhumane treatment” of Imran’s sisters, including attacks with water cannons. The alliance demanded the release of prisoners, including Imran, Bushra Bibi, and PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Ejaz Chaudhry, Yasmin Rashid, and Sarfraz Cheema.
The participants criticised the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, alleging it curtailed media freedom, and expressed concerns over the economic strangulation of Dawn Media Group. They voiced solidarity with journalists who lost jobs and condemned cases against Matiullah Jan and lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatha.
The conference also questioned reports on the deployment of Pakistan’s armed forces in Gaza, calling for national transparency and consultation. Citing the World Bank, TTAP said over 44 per cent of Pakistan’s population lived below the poverty line, while IMF reports indicated corruption of Rs5,300 billion. The alliance blamed the government for failing to curb unemployment, inflation, and poverty, and for lacking a relief roadmap.
TTAP further expressed concern over deteriorating law and order in Sindh and Balochistan, demanding the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other detainees. They called for implementing KP Assembly Jirga resolutions, releasing outstanding federal dues, lifting the ban on the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, and respecting provincial ownership of minerals under the 18th Amendment.
The alliance also demanded the immediate restoration of student unions nationwide, underlining that the door to dialogue must never be closed in a democracy amid the ongoing national crisis.
