Tehreek-e-Istiqlal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tehreek-e-Istiqlal
تحریک استقلال
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| Leader | Asghar Khan |
| Founder | Asghar Khan |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Dissolved | 2012 |
| Merged into | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf |
| Ideology | Pakistani nationalism Progressivism Mixed economy Reformism Welfarism Minority rights |
| Political position | Centre |
| Religion | Secular |
Tehreek-e-Istiqlal (Urdu: تحریک استقلال) was a political party in Pakistan. It was once a very popular political group. Air Marshal (retired) Asghar Khan started it in 1970.
Many well-known people were part of Tehreek-e-Istiqlal in the 1970s. These included Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, and Aitzaz Ahsan. General Zia postponed elections, and Asghar Khan was kept under house arrest for over five years. In 1983, Asghar Khan joined a new group called the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD). He was then held by the government again.
In the 1990 Pakistani general election, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal worked with the Pakistan Peoples Party. This was to help them in the elections.
In January 2012, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal announced it would join with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Contents
How the Party Started
After leaving the military, Air Marshal Asghar Khan created the Justice Party in 1969. By 1970, he left that party to start Tehreek-e-Istiqlal (TeI). He formed TeI as a response to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto starting the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Tehreek-e-Istiqlal was a middle-ground political party. It was formed to stand against the left-wing PPP. Both parties, however, were against the government of Ayub Khan. Even though TeI was a middle-ground and secular party, it also got support from conservative voters. During the 1969–70 election, Khan blamed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for starting the 1965 war with India.
What the Party Did
In the 1970 Pakistani general elections, the party decided to run in Rawalpindi's constituencies. They thought people there would vote for a retired air force general. But Khan lost the election to a less known politician from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Tehreek-e-Istiqlal did not win any seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan. The PPP won most of the seats in Pakistan.
After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Khan joined the National Assembly. He was part of the opposition, led by Wali Khan. When Yahya Khan handed over the government to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Khan criticized Bhutto. He said Bhutto made the situation worse, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. Khan also said Pakistan was like a "one-party state" with much suppression.
In 1973, Khan criticized Prime Minister Bhutto even more. He blamed Bhutto for allowing military operations in Balochistan, Pakistan. In 1974, Khan spoke against the government taking over industries in Pakistan. His party received money from business people like Nawaz Sharif to oppose these policies. In 1975–76, Khan helped form the Pakistan National Alliance. This was a large group of nine conservative parties. Their goal was to remove Bhutto and his party from power.
The party took part in the 1977 Pakistani general election. But they lost the elections, which surprised them. The party said the election results were unfair and accused the government of vote rigging. They immediately called for large protests (dharnas) against the government. When the government arrested protesters, Khan reportedly wrote a letter to military leaders. He asked them not to follow the orders of their civilian leaders. This letter asked the military to stop supporting Bhutto's government.
Many historians believe this letter played a role in the military taking control in 1977. Khan was offered a job in the new government but he said no.
Challenges and Changes
After the military took control in July 1977, Khan began to oppose the new government. He called for democracy to be brought back. In TV interviews, Khan defended his letter. He said he never asked the military to take over. He wrote it after reading a news story about a soldier shooting a civilian.
In 1983, Khan joined the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD). This group was led by Benazir Bhutto and supported by other parties.
Khan was kept under house arrest from 1979 to 1984. Amnesty International called him a "prisoner of conscience." In 1986, Khan left the MRD. He felt it was too influenced by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He decided not to take part in the 1985 elections. Because of this, many key members of his party left and joined the Pakistan Muslim League (N).
In 1988, his letter asking for military support became public. Khan lost his election seats to PPP politicians in the 1988 Pakistani general elections. He also claimed the military helped finance other parties. He took his case to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In 1997, Khan decided not to take part in the 1997 Pakistani general elections.
Joining Another Party
Since 1990, Khan's political influence in Pakistan had become very small. In 1998–99, Asghar Khan tried to merge his party with Imran Khan's PTI.
In 2002, he handed over his party to his older son, Omar Asghar Khan. Omar was a government minister for a short time. After his son passed away in 2002, Khan joined the National Democratic Party in 2004. He stayed with them until 2011. On December 12, 2011, Asghar Khan announced he fully supported the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Imran Khan. He praised Imran Khan's efforts and said he was the only hope for Pakistan. This support came at an important time for Imran Khan.
See also
- Politics of Pakistan
- History of Pakistan
