Thousands of supporters of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan have begun a long march from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa toward Islamabad, demanding his release. The route to the capital is about 275 km.
The marchers clashed with Frontier Force personnel about 3 km from Lakki Marwat. Stones were thrown from both sides and police used batons, but the procession resumed after 1 hour. Authorities have placed containers on roads leading to parliament and highways in Islamabad.
PTI lawmaker Shehzad Shahbaz and Army Chief Asim Munir held a meeting late in the evening amid fears of further clashes. Details of the meeting were not disclosed.
Arrests and failed talks
PTI says about 2,000 of its workers were arrested during a large-scale detention operation in Punjab on Saturday night. The claim has been attributed to the party.
The government and PTI held two rounds of talks on Friday and Saturday, but failed to reach an agreement. PTI sought an immediate meeting with Khan and his transfer to a hospital where his private doctors could examine and treat him. The government demanded that the protest be cancelled.
Interior State Minister Talal Chaudhry said the talks mainly failed because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could not assure the federal government of cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The province has a PTI government and has faced militant violence for a long time.
March route and government response
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Sunday night that the march would continue. Supporters from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat joined the procession at Gandhi Chowk.
The convoy is expected to move through Karak, Kohat and Peshawar. Supporters from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai are due to join on 6 October, followed by participants from Peshawar on 7 October and Charsadda and Mohmand on 8 October.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's political adviser Rana Sanaullah said the demonstrators would not be allowed to enter Islamabad. The federal government has deployed additional security forces on roads leading toward the capital.
Khan's imprisonment
Khan, 73, has been held at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail since 2023. More than 100 cases have been registered against him, and he has been convicted in 3 cases: 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case, 10 years in a document-leak case and 3 years in the Toshakhana case.
His wife, Bushra, is also in jail in the Toshakhana case. His sisters Aleema, Uzma and Nooreen were taken into preventive custody in September.
On 18 August, the Supreme Court ordered Khan's transfer to a private Islamabad hospital for a medical examination and treatment. He was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences on the night of 20 August instead, and returned to jail after examination.
