Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan have launched a mass protest march from the country’s northwest toward the capital, Islamabad, following the total breakdown of negotiations with the federal government. More than 5,000 demonstrators reportedly joined the rally on Sunday. Organized by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, the demonstration had originally been slated for September 27 but was deferred to October 4 to facilitate dialogue; however, two rounds of intense talks over the weekend failed to resolve the political impasse.
The convoy represents the latest high-stakes bid by the PTI to force the release of the 73-year-old former cricket star turned politician, who remains the nation’s most widely supported figure according to public opinion surveys. Khan has been held in prison since August 2023 under numerous charges that his party denounces as fabricated and politically motivated. Notably, all but one of the legal convictions against the former prime minister have since been either suspended or outright overturned upon appeal. Footage shared by the party showed massive vehicle convoys assembling across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a regional PTI stronghold.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reiterated on social media that the march in solidarity with Khan would push forward undeterred. Afridi stated that the demonstrators are scheduled to reach Khairabad, roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Islamabad, by Thursday, at which point the leadership will unveil the blueprint for the “next phase” of their agitation. Anticipating the push toward the capital, federal authorities have spent weeks fortifying Islamabad’s perimeter, erecting formidable roadblocks using steel shipping containers to seal off key transport routes.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi officially confirmed the collapse of the negotiations, publicly accusing Afridi of deliberately sabotaging the talks and warning that law enforcement would not tolerate disruptions to public order. Naqvi cited a mid-September Islamabad High Court ruling that strictly prohibits political factions from occupying public highways, interchanges, and government infrastructure, vowing that any violators would be tracked down and prosecuted. Tensions have been further inflamed by mounting concerns over Khan’s deteriorating health—specifically a worsening eye condition requiring specialized medical care—as well as the detention of his three sisters last month.
Source: www.aljazeera.com