Imran Khan supporters launch long march on Islamabad after talks collapse
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan set off from Lakki Marwat on a days-long march to Islamabad after last-minute talks with the government broke down.
Supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan launched a “long march” toward Islamabad on Sunday after talks aimed at preventing the demonstration collapsed.
An AFP journalist in Lakki Marwat, in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saw thousands of people take to the streets, many carrying the red and green flags of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Videos posted on the party’s official social media showed convoys of trucks, buses and cars setting off from gathering points across the province, which PTI governs.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is leading the march, said the demonstration in support of Khan would go ahead. According to the route announced on X, the convoy will make overnight stops along the way, gathering supporters from across the province before heading toward the capital.
PTI chairman Gohar Khan said negotiations with the government had remained deadlocked after two rounds. Opposition politician Allama Raja Nasir Abbas told Geo TV the impasse centred on demands including access to Khan by his personal doctor.
The government has warned the marchers they will not be allowed to enter the capital. Political adviser Rana Sanaullah told reporters that “no one would be allowed to enter Islamabad”, and authorities have erected container roadblocks at the entrances to the city and inside it.
The protesters are demanding Khan’s release, his transfer to hospital and permission for his family to visit him, as well as the release of his three sisters, who were arrested last month. Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on charges ranging from corruption to treason, which he and his party reject as politically motivated.
Sources
- Associated Press — Imran Khan supporters to march on Islamabad to demand his release: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/usa/imran-khan-supporters-to-march-on-islamabad-to-demand-his-release-nid04102026/
- South China Morning Post — Supporters of Imran Khan begin ‘long march’ to Islamabad: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369723/supporters-imran-khan-begin-long-march-islamabad
- Channel News Asia — Pro-Imran Khan march starts in Pakistan’s northwest: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/pro-imran-khan-march-starts-in-pakistans-northwest-6431786
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Follow the march: PTI long march series
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