[6] It was founded in September 2020 as a opposition movement against Imran Khan, accusing his administration of poor governance, political victimization of opponents, and mismanaging the economy and foreign policy.

[8] On 10 April 2022, the coalition succeeded in ousting Khan through a no-confidence motion,[9][10][11] after which the PDM formed its own government, choosing the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif as the country's next Prime Minister.

[12][13] The PDM was a political movement that was based on allegations of vote rigging in the 2018 Pakistani general election, which was won by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in a landslide.

[14] PDM leaders also claimed that Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Pakistan Army Chief, and Faiz Hameed, head of the intelligence services (ISI), had been responsible for "selecting" Imran Khan as Prime Minister.

[23] The PDM planned to hold a "long march" in June 2021,[24] despite objections of large gatherings by health experts, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

Ahead of the vote motion Balochistan Awami Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan joined the opposition alliance on 29 and 30 March respectively.