Imran Khan supporters launch protest march after talks collapse

Supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan began a protest march in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, 12 October, after talks between the government and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party over its demands broke down.

Agence France-Presse reported that videos posted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on social media showed crowds of Imran Khan supporters gathering in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and their convoys moving out. Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of the province, had also written on X before the march began that the protest would go ahead.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, one of the figures opposed to the Pakistani government, said last-minute talks between government representatives and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had reached an impasse. According to him, demands such as access for doctors to Imran Khan were among the disputed issues in the negotiations.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is also demanding the release of Imran Khan’s three sisters, who were arrested last month. The march had initially been scheduled for 27 September, but the party said the date was changed to 4 October.

The Pakistani government has blocked roads leading to the capital with containers stacked two high in an effort to prevent protesters from entering Islamabad. Discontent over Imran Khan’s continued imprisonment, especially regarding his health and access to doctors and his family, has increased in recent months.

Imran Khan has been in prison since August 2023 and, after widespread unrest over his arrest in May that year, has faced charges including corruption, treason and incitement to violence, and has been sentenced to prison in several cases. His family and party members have repeatedly expressed concern about his health.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled in August that Imran Khan should be transferred to a civilian hospital for treatment, but authorities returned him to prison after a short stay in a government hospital.