Pakistan: Imran Khan supporters demand ex-PM's release

Thousands of Imran Khan supporters began to make their way to the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Sunday as a slow moving convoy set off on an 80-kilometer (50-mile) trip that will take several days to complete.

Some 5,000 supporters are traveling by bus, car and truck from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) holds power.

March organizers say they intend to rally hundreds of thousands of supporters to Khan's cause along the way, hoping to bring about his release from prison as well as his transfer to a hospital where he can receive medical treatment and regular visits from his family.

Government officials say Khan is in no need of hospitalization and that he receives regular visits already.

In August, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that he should be moved to a civilian hospital but authorities returned him to prison after a short stay at a government-run medical facility.

Imran Khan still very influential despite being behind bars for years

Despite being jailed since 2023, Khan, a popular former cricket star, maintains great influence inside Pakistan, with he and his followers convinced that his imprisonment is the result of political persecution.

Khan, who began his term as prime minister in August 2018, left office in April 2022, when he lost a no-confidence vote. He has been in prison since August 2023. Beyond corruption and treason charges, he was also accused of inciting violence after widespread anti-government protests in May 2023.

Moreover, his supporters say the 2024 election that brought Shehbaz Sharif back to power was rigged — an accusation the government denies.

Speaking with AFP news agency, James Dorsey of the National University of Singapore called Khan "a populist leader" with "a genuine popular movement that has broad popular support," adding, "That's why I think you've seen the determination by the government to prevent (protesters) from entering Islamabad."

Dorsey noted that in his opinion, security concerns — particularly those stemming from Pakistan's unresolved February 2026 war with Afghanistan — would likely force Islamabad to avoid escalation in the face of protests.

The march, he says, is "a problem for the government, but I don't think it's an existential threat."

Pakistan's government accuses Khan supporters of having terrorist sympathies

The march was initially set to commence on September 27, but organizers postponed it amid talks aimed at finding a political solution to the standoff between the government of Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and Imran Khan's PTI — and despite the government erecting massive roadblocks in and around Islamabad.

The march began after those talks failed. 

PTI Chairman Gohar Khan on Sunday said negotiations to stave off the march had remained deadlocked after two rounds of talks.

Khan's supporters now plan to hold rallies at a series of overnight stops during what will likely be a four or five day march.

Speaking from atop a large truck, the trailer of which is emblazoned with a large portrait of Khan, provincial chief minister Sohail Afridi said the movement will bring Pakistan's political standoff to the heart of the capital.

Why Pakistan is fighting the Taliban it once backed

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the breakdown in negotiations, warning that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the march.

In the past, protests by Khan's supporters have turned violent, including in 2024, when security personnel and civilians were killed.

Pakistan has also seen a resurgence of terror attacks over the past several months and the Sharif government cited these as reason for delaying the march.

The government accuses Khan's PTI of sympathizing with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is largely thought to be behind the attacks. The PTI rejects these accusations as a baseless smear campaign.

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