Supporters of imprisoned Imran Khan march towards Islamabad demanding his release.
Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s main political rival, has been in prison since 2023 on corruption and other charges. Khan and his party have described the cases as politically motivated, the Associated Press reported.
PTI chairman Gohar Khan said negotiations remained deadlocked after two rounds. Officials have said Khan is in good health and receives regular family visits, but maintain that meetings with the imprisoned former prime minister cannot be used for political purposes. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi, a staunch Khan supporter, is leading the march. Speaking from a specially designed container truck bearing a large portrait of Khan, Afridi expressed confidence that the movement would succeed in taking its demands to the heart of the capital. Talks between PTI, government fail PTI and the federal government had held talks over postponing the march, but failed to reach an agreement. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the failure of the talks and warned that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the planned march. The government had urged PTI to postpone the protest, citing a rise in militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in the northwest. The government has also accused PTI of sympathising with the TTP.
Thousands of supporters of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan began a march towards Islamabad on Sunday, demanding his release after talks between his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government failed to break the political deadlock.