Preamble
Pakistan was founded as a democratic state. Its Constitution vests sovereignty in the people, exercised through freely elected representatives, with the armed forces subordinate to civilian authority. Repeated interventions by the military in politics, judicial appointments, electoral processes, media, and the running of state institutions have hollowed out that promise. The 26th Amendment (2024) and the 27th Amendment (2025), together with subsequent measures that concentrated power in the military high command and created parallel judicial structures, represent a further retreat from constitutionalism.
It is an open reality in Pakistan that the military has long positioned itself as synonymous with “the state.” This equation is used to treat criticism of the military, demands for civilian supremacy, or advocacy for constitutional rights as attacks on the state itself. We reject that equation. The state is the people of Pakistan under the Constitution; the armed forces are an instrument of that state, not its owners.
Official narratives that label political dissent, peaceful protest, journalism, or human-rights work as sedition, anti-state activity, or terrorism are not accepted at face value. The individuals named in this manifesto—PTI political prisoners, Mahrang Baloch, Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha, and Awami Action Committee leaders—have not been involved in violence. We therefore refuse to treat contested official claims as settled fact.
History shows that wherever persecution becomes systematic, fascism replaces the rule of law, and peaceful avenues are closed, people eventually pick up arms. That outcome serves no one. This movement is our final, deliberate effort to prevent that eventuality. It is the last chance to bring about change through peaceful, constitutional means before the situation slips beyond everyone’s control, and the entire country pays the price.
We declare a non-violent, citizen-led movement to restore the supremacy of the Constitution, return the military to its professional role, rebuild an independent judiciary, secure free and fair elections, guarantee the basic freedoms without which democracy cannot function, end the weaponisation of sedition and terrorism charges against citizens, and secure the release of all those detained for political activity.
Core Demands
1. Civilian supremacy and return of the army to barracks
The armed forces shall confine themselves to external defence and legally authorised internal security roles under civilian command. All political interference, electoral engineering, media management, economic decision-making, and institutional capture by the military shall end. The Chief of Defence Forces structure and any associated immunities that place military leadership above ordinary law and civilian oversight shall be reversed. The practice of equating the military with the state itself shall cease.
2. Restoration of an independent judiciary
Immediate repeal or reversal of the 26th Amendment and every subsequent constitutional amendment that altered judicial appointments, limited the Chief Justice’s tenure by political process, removed or restricted the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction, created constitutional benches under political influence, or established parallel courts that dilute the Supreme Court’s authority. Judicial appointments shall return to a system in which judges form the decisive majority and the principle of seniority is respected. Courts must be free to interpret the Constitution without fear of executive or military retaliation.
3. Free and fair elections
Every political party and every eligible individual shall have the unrestricted right to contest elections. No party or candidate shall be disqualified, stripped of symbols, or prevented from campaigning through administrative or coercive means. The Election Commission shall operate with genuine independence. Results shall be accepted without post-election engineering. International and domestic observers shall be freely admitted. The military shall have no role in the conduct, supervision, or outcome of elections.
4. Civilian control of all state institutions
Intelligence agencies, police, bureaucracy, public-sector enterprises, and regulatory bodies shall operate under civilian ministers and parliamentary oversight. No unelected institution shall exercise veto power over policy, appointments, or elections.
5. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to peaceful assembly
Every citizen shall enjoy the unrestricted right to express political opinions, criticise the government, the military, the judiciary, and political parties without fear of arrest, disappearance, or online or offline harassment. The press shall operate free from censorship, licensing threats, advertising boycotts orchestrated by the state, and ownership capture. Journalists shall not be abducted, tortured, or prosecuted for reporting. Citizens shall have the right to organise and participate in peaceful public assemblies, protests, and marches. Blanket internet shutdowns, mobile-service blackouts, and the preventive use of force against non-violent gatherings shall be prohibited. Permits for assemblies shall be issued on a content-neutral basis.
6. End to the weaponisation of sedition, “anti-state,” and terrorism charges; release of all political prisoners
The state shall stop using sedition, anti-state, terrorism, cyber-crime, or similar charges against citizens solely for political activity, peaceful protest, journalism, human-rights advocacy, or criticism of government or military policy. Such charges shall not be a substitute for ordinary criminal law when no actual violent offence has occurred. Official narratives that convert non-violent political activity into “terrorism” or “anti-state” activity shall not be treated as conclusive.
The 29 October 2026 Anti-Terrorism Court sentence of 10 years each to human-rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha is a clear example: the act of moving a barrier was prosecuted and punished as terrorism.
All individuals detained solely for political activity, peaceful protest, journalism, or human-rights advocacy shall be released immediately and unconditionally, or given prompt, open trials before independent courts with full due process. This includes all political prisoners associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Balochistan rights activist Mahrang Baloch, human-rights lawyers including Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, leaders and members of the Awami Action Committee, and every other person held under similar political charges. None of these individuals has been involved in violence. No one shall remain imprisoned on the basis of political affiliation, ethnicity, or dissent. All missing persons across Pakistan held in custody must be brought before a competent court without delay. They must be guaranteed all legal and constitutional rights, including access to a lawyer, protection from torture, and a fair trial. Every person must be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Only a competent court of law may convict or sentence them, based on evidence and through due process.
Principles
- Non-violence and respect for the law, even when the law is imperfect.
- Inclusivity: the movement belongs to citizens.
- The military is not the state. Criticism of the military, or of any other institution, is not an attack on the state.
- Free expression and the right not to be imprisoned for peaceful political activity are not privileges granted by those in power; they are conditions of legitimate government.
- This movement is the last peaceful alternative. Where systematic persecution and the collapse of the rule of law leave no other path, societies have repeatedly turned to arms. We refuse to accept that fate for Pakistan. Peaceful change now is the only way to prevent a future in which everyone loses.
Call to Action
We call on lawyers, students, trade unions, women’s groups, farmers, business associations, journalists, and ordinary citizens across all provinces to join this movement to free Pakistan from the shackles of authoritarianism. We invite political parties that accept these principles to join as equals.