  Shown within Islamabad Capital Territory | |
| Location | Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad |
|---|---|
| Postal code | 44000 |
| NearestRawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus station | Parade Ground |
| Coordinates | 33°43′46″N73°05′36″E / 33.729435798731494°N 73.09334404119988°E /33.729435798731494; 73.09334404119988 |
| Other | |
| Known for | Being a site of numerous political demonstrations and sit-ins |
Gaza-Chowk, is a largetown square located on the junction ofJinnah Avenue andConstitution Avenue inIslamabad,Pakistan. It is located in thegovernment district, close to several important government buildings: thePresidency, thePrime Minister’s Office, theParliament, and theSupreme Court.[1]
The square used to be a popular recreational area for the local people. After the shift of venue fromRawalpindi's Race Course, thePakistan Day Parade used to be here for several years.[2] It has now been moved to theShakarparian Parade Ground.[3]
The square is a frequent venue for political rallies and other public gatherings,[4] and has been likened to Egypt'sTahrir Square.[1] Since the square is a junction on two major roads, such meetings have repeatedly paralyzed traffic in Islamabad.
In April 2016, the government decreed that the square should be rebuilt to make it ano-go area for protesters.[5] However, political rallies continue to be held there.[6]
The first major demonstration held at the venue was on 4–5 July 1980. It was conducted by a religious group against the imposition ofZakat and Ushur Ordinance byPresidentMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Led byMufti Jafar Hussain, the protesters took over the nearbyPakistan Secretariat building, after which their demands were accepted, and they were exempted from paying the new proposed taxes.[7]
On 17 August 1989,Nawaz Sharif led the opposition parties on the firstdeath anniversary of Zia-ul-Haq. The crowd dispersed after the involvement ofInterior MinisterAitzaz Ahsan.[7]
On 16 November 1992, the opposition parties marched towards the D-Chowk while protesting against alleged rigging in the1990 Pakistani general election. A few months later, on 16 July 1993,Benazir Bhutto, who was theLeader of the Opposition then, led her supporters towards the Secretariat while pressuringPrime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign. This led to him, as well as PresidentGhulam Ishaq Khan, resigning, after the intervention ofChief of Army StaffAbdul Waheed Kakar.[7]
As part of theLawyers' Movement, Pakistani lawyers and their supporters ended their 2009 long march in front of the Parliament.[8]
In January 2013,Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and thousands of hisMinhaj-ul-Quran supporters staged a sit-in at D-chowk,[9] demanding the resignation of the government.[10]
In April 2014, human rights activists andcivil society members protested againstmissing persons at D-Chowk before beingbaton charge by the police.[11]
On 14 August 2014,Imran Khan and Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri led theirAzadi march andInqilab March respectively fromLahore to D-Chowk in Islamabad while protesting against thePakistan Muslim League (N) government. A 126-daysit-in followed, which ended on 17 December 2014.[12][7]
On 27 March 2016, thousands of protestors from religious groups camped out at D-Chowk for several days after observing the chelum ofMumtaz Qadri.[13]
In February 2022,Pakistan People's Party chairmanBilawal Bhutto Zardari led his Awami March, which commenced fromKarachi and ended at Islamabad's D-Chowk.[12]
Since May 2024,the sit-in organized by theSave Gaza Campaign has been ongoing. D Chowk was renamedGaza Chowk on the 27th day of the sit-in to express love for Palestine and Gaza. It was appealed to the public that now D Chowk will be written, said and called Gaza Chowk. The board of Gaza Chowk was unveiled.[14]
In November 2024, D-Chowk was the site of the2024 Final Call protests, where supporters ofImran Khan marched to the capital, calling for him to be released. As a result, there was a violent crackdown by Pakistani security forces, resulting in at least 6 deaths,[15] as well as thousands of arrests.[16]