Thousands of supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan have started a multi-day march toward Islamabad to demand his release, while authorities have blocked the capital’s entry points with shipping containers.
The convoy set out on Sunday from Lakki Marwat, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party governs. Crowd estimates vary: one news agency described the early gathering as hundreds, while another put it above 5,000. Organisers have scheduled overnight stops along the route.
Provincial chief minister Sohail Afridi, a close Khan ally, is leading the march from a purpose-built container truck bearing a large portrait of the former premier. He said he was confident the movement could carry its demands into the heart of the capital.
Besides Khan’s freedom, marchers are asking for his transfer to a hospital and for family visits. Officials say Khan is in good health and receives regular family visits, but they insist such meetings cannot serve political purposes.
The march follows the collapse of talks between PTI and the federal government on Friday. The two sides had discussed postponing the protest but failed to agree after two rounds, and PTI chairman Gohar Khan said the negotiations had hit a deadlock. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the breakdown and said he would be held responsible for any deaths during the march.
Khan has been in prison since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. He is the main political rival of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government. Khan was ousted from office in 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
Authorities have previously sealed off Islamabad in response to PTI protests. Police and paramilitary units have been deployed in the past, and mobile and internet services were disrupted during a similar march in November 2024.
