More than 5,000 supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan began a dayslong march toward Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release, after talks between the government and the opposition fell through.
Despite his imprisonment, he retains a substantial and passionate support base, keeping him at the center of Pakistan’s turbulent political landscape. The demonstrators, traveling in a convoy of trucks, buses and cars, departed from Lakki Marwat district in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Khan’s party holds power. Organizers have planned overnight stops along the route as the caravan makes its way toward the capital. Sohail Afridi, the province’s chief minister, and a staunch Khan supporter is leading the march. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, and the federal government were in talks to postpone the march but failed to reach a resolution. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the failure of the talks, warning that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the planned march. Sharif’s government urged postponement of the march, citing a surge in militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest. His government has accused PTI of sympathizing with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The march was originally scheduled for Sept. The government denies the allegation.
Khan is current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ’s main political rival and has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. 27 but was postponed after party leaders said authorities blocked key approaches to Islamabad, including Attock Bridge, a major crossing for convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khan, a former cricket star, was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Sharif returned to office after the February 2024 election, which Khan’s party says was rigged to deny it victory. Earlier reporting noted: The PTI had initially planned to begin the march on September 27 but postponed it to October 4 after the government announced measures to prevent the protest.
Gohar Khan, the party’s chairman, said negotiations remained deadlocked after two rounds.
Earlier reporting noted: Talks between Pakistan’s Shehbaz govt, Imran Khan’s PTI fail; Islamabad braces for more protests Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan ’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will reportedly proceed with its planned long march to Islamabad after the failure of talks with the federal government. Earlier reporting noted: The second round of negotiations between government representatives and PTI leaders began at 4pm on Saturday and it extended through the night but failed to make any decision, news agency PTI reported.
