Pakistan Democratic Movement
Pakistan Democratic Movement پاکستان ڈیموکریٹک موومنٹ | |
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| Abbreviation | PDM |
| President | Fazal-ur-Rehman (JUI–F) |
| Secretary-General | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (PML–N) |
| Spokesperson | Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor (JUI–F) |
| Senior Vice President | Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao (QWP) |
| Vice President | Mahmood Khan Achakzai (PMAP) |
| Founded | 20 September 2020 |
| Dissolved | c. 20 September 2023 |
| Ideology | Anti-PTI |
| Political position | Big tent |
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM; Urdu: پاکستان ڈیموکریٹک موومنٹ) was a coalition of Pakistani political parties that was founded in September 2020 as a political movement opposing Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, who had taken office in August 2018. It consisted of parties that have been historically prominent in Pakistani politics, such as the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML–N), while also including dissident members of Khan's own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The PDM sought to shift the balance of power in the democratic process to bring down the Khan government, which it accused of poor governance, suppression or harassment of political opponents, and mismanagement of the country's economy and foreign policy.
In 2021, Pakistan fell into an economic crisis, which intensified debate over Khan's premiership. By early 2022, the PDM began pushing for a no-confidence motion against Khan, sparking a constitutional crisis; Khan was ousted when the motion proceeded on 10 April of that year and passed by majority vote in the National Assembly. Upon being succeeded by PML–N's Shehbaz Sharif on 11 April, Khan claimed that the United States had worked with the Pakistan Armed Forces to artificially prop up the Sharif government through the PDM and that he would be staging the Azadi march in May and the Haqeeqi Azadi march in October to demand early elections.
Following his removal as prime minister, Khan's denunciation of the PDM and the Sharif government was met with widespread support within his party and among his voter base throughout the country, exacerbating the ongoing Pakistani political crisis. During the Haqeeqi Azadi march in Wazirabad, Khan suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds in an attempted assassination, subsequently stating that he had been "receiving information" that the two gunmen had acted at the PDM's behest. In May 2023, amidst country-wide PTI protests, Khan was arrested on corruption charges, sparking the May 9 riots against government and military institutions. While he was granted bail one day later, he was re-arrested in August 2023 and charged with selling state gifts, culminating in his ongoing imprisonment. Later that year, in anticipation of the 2024 Pakistani general election, the PDM was effectively dissolved and has not held any formal meetings.
The PDM's president and spokesperson was Fazal-ur-Rehman and Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor, respectively, both of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI–F). Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the PML–N was secretary-general, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) was senior vice president, and Mahmood Khan Achakzai of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) was vice president. The coalition's former senior vice president and former spokesperson was Raja Pervez Ashraf of the PPP and Mian Iftikhar Hussain of the Awami National Party (ANP), respectively.