Supporters of Imprisoned Imran Khan March Towards Islamabad Demanding Release

Thousands of supporters of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan began a march towards Islamabad on Sunday, demanding his release after talks between his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government failed to break the political deadlock.

Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's main political rival, has been in prison since 2023 on corruption and other charges. Khan and his party have described the cases as politically motivated, the Associated Press reported.

Despite his imprisonment, he continues to command a large and committed support base. The protesters set off from Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where PTI is in power, in a convoy of trucks, buses and cars.

Organisers have planned overnight stops as the caravan makes its way towards Islamabad. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi, a staunch Khan supporter, is leading the march.

Speaking from a specially designed container truck bearing a large portrait of Khan, Afridi expressed confidence that the movement would succeed in taking its demands to the heart of the capital. Authorities have erected roadblocks using shipping containers at entry points to Islamabad and at several locations inside the city.

PTI and the federal government had held talks over postponing the march, but failed to reach an agreement. PTI chairman Gohar Khan said negotiations remained deadlocked after two rounds.

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the failure of the talks and warned that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the planned march. The government had urged PTI to postpone the protest, citing a rise in militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in the northwest. The government has also accused PTI of sympathising with the TTP.

PTI organisers, however, have vowed to reach Islamabad after mobilising hundreds of thousands of Khan supporters. Apart from Khan's release, protesters are demanding that he be shifted to a hospital and that his family be allowed to visit him.

Officials have said Khan is in good health and receives regular family visits, but maintain that meetings with the imprisoned former prime minister cannot be used for political purposes.

The march was originally scheduled for September 27 but was postponed after PTI leaders said authorities had blocked key routes to Islamabad, including the Attock Bridge, a major crossing used by convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Previous protests by Khan's supporters have turned violent. During one such protest in 2024, security personnel and civilians were killed.