Imran Khan supporters march on

LAKKI MARWAT (Pakistan): A march demanding the release of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, 73, kicked off on Sunday in the country's northwest after talks to avert the demonstration stalled.

Authorities have been preparing for weeks for the possible arrival of demonstrators in Islamabad, with the march by supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party originally slated for Sept 27 before being postponed until Sunday.

In Lakki Marwat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is ruled by PTI, an AFP journalist saw thousands of protesters take to the streets.

Many demonstrators carried the opposition party's red-and-green flags.

A huge billboard affixed to the side of a truck read "Release Imran Khan" and featured a beaming picture of him with his hand held aloft.

Earlier, videos posted on PTI's official social media showed supporters gathering in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and setting off in convoys as part of the "long march".

Sohail Afridi, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said earlier on X that the demonstration in support of Khan would go ahead.

Discontent over Khan's incarceration has mounted in recent months, particularly over his medical treatment and access to him by doctors and family members.

PTI has also called for the release of Khan's three sisters, whose arrests last month further heightened tensions.

Opposition politician Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said last-minute talks between the government and PTI representatives were in "deadlock".

Abbas told Geo TV that negotiators had hit an impasse over demands, including access to Khan for his doctor.

Khan, a former cricket star, has been behind bars since August 2023 and faces scores of charges, ranging from corruption to treason and inciting violence, following widespread anti-establishment riots in May that year.

He and his legal team reject the allegations, branding them as politically motivated cases aimed at neutralising his popularity.

Tim Willasey-Wilsey, a geopolitics expert, said the protests were "fundamentally driven by economic factors", with the Iran war impacting fuel prices in Pakistan and food costs rising on the back of the war in Ukraine.

"Day-to-day life has become a struggle for ordinary Pakistanis in recent years," said Willasey-Wilsey, a senior associate fellow at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute.

"Imran Khan is the focal point for all opposition to the government," he added.