Imran Khan supporters to march on Islamabad to demand his release

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are set to begin a days-long march toward Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release after talks between the government and the opposition fell through.

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. He remains popular.

The march will leave Lakki Marwat district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party holds power, with overnight stops planned along the route. Sohail Afridi, the province’s chief minister and a Khan supporter, announced the plan on X. Authorities have erected roadblocks , using containers, at the entrance to Islamabad and inside the city.

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 two days ago. Gohar Khan, the party’s chairman, said negotiations remained deadlocked after two rounds.

Sharif urged postponement, citing a surge in militant attacks in the northwest, where the Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks . His government has accused PTI of sympathizing with the Pakistani Taliban , also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The organizers now vow to reach the capital after rallying with hundreds of thousands of Khan supporters.

Besides Khan’s release, protesters are demanding his transfer to a hospital and permission for his family to visit him. Officials say he is in good health and receives regular family visits but maintain that meetings with the imprisoned former leader cannot be used for political purposes.

The march was originally scheduled for Sept. 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.

Previous protests by Khan’s supporters have turned violent , including one in 2024 in which security personnel and civilians were killed.

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. The government denies the allegation.

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Riaz reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar contributed to this story.