Imran Khan supporters march on Islamabad to demand his release after talks failed

Over 5,000 supporters of ousted former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan embarked on a multi-day march towards Islamabad on Sunday, seeking his release after government-opposition talks failed to yield progress. The imminent standoff is poised to intensify Pakistan's political instability at a time when the nation is also confronting a rise in militant assaults.

Khan, currently the country's Prime Minister, is Shehbaz Sharif's primary political adversary and has been incarcerated since 2023 on corruption allegations and other charges that he and his party allege are politically motivated. Despite his imprisonment, Khan continues to enjoy considerable and fervent backing, positioning him as a pivotal figure in Pakistan's volatile political scene.

The demonstrators, journeying in a convoy of trucks, buses, and cars, set off from Lakki Marwat district in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan's party holds sway. The caravan is slated to make overnight stops along the route as it progresses toward the capital. Sohail Afridi, chief minister of the province and a fervent Khan supporter, is spearheading the march.

Speaking from a specially equipped truck decorated with a prominent portrait of Khan, he expressed confidence in the movement's capacity to push its demands and thrust the political impasse into the heart of Islamabad.

Authorities have deployed roadblocks, utilizing containers, at the city's outskirts and within Islamabad. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the federal government were engaged in discussions to reschedule the march, yet failed to reach an agreement. Gohar Khan, chairman of the party, stated that the negotiations remained stalled after two rounds.

The PTI and the federal government were locked in a standoff over the march's postponement. Gohar Khan attributed the failure of talks to Afridi, warning that he would bear responsibility for any casualties during the planned demonstration. Sharif’s government urged the march's postponement, citing an upsurge in militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest.

The government has accused PTI of harboring sympathies towards the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The organizers are resolved to reach Islamabad following rallies with hundreds of thousands of Khan supporters. Beyond Khan's release, protesters are demanding his transfer to a hospital and permission for his family to visit him. Officials assert that Khan is in good health and receives regular family visits, but they deny that meetings with the imprisoned former leader can be exploited for political purposes.

The march was originally slated for September 27, but was postponed due to authorities blocking key approaches to Islamabad, including the Attock Bridge, a significant crossing for convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Previous rallies by Khan's supporters have turned violent, including an incident in 2024 where security personnel and civilians were killed.

Khan, a former cricket sensation, was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Sharif's government has dismissed these allegations as baseless.