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Thousands of backers of Pakistan's imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan are advancing toward Islamabad, pressing for his freedom as anxiety mounts over the 73-year-old's medical condition. The procession, which set off from Lakki Marwat — a city roughly 275km from the capital — halted overnight and was due to restart around midday local time on Monday, according to organizers.
Roughly 5,000 demonstrators took to the streets on Sunday, waving the red-and-green banners of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The timing of the march had originally been set for the previous week, but it was pushed back to create space for negotiations between the government and PTI. Those discussions ultimately collapsed without agreement, clearing the way for supporters to resume their journey.
At the center of the campaign is Khan himself, the cricket legend turned politician who has now spent years entangled in Pakistan's legal system. He faces charges in more than 100 separate cases and was handed a 17-year sentence last year in a corruption case. Khan has consistently maintained that every allegation against him is politically driven, a claim his party repeats at every rally.
His family has become increasingly vocal about what they describe as a worsening health crisis behind bars. Relatives say he has lost most of the vision in his right eye after prison officials neglected to act on his condition. That assertion has intensified calls from supporters and even former international cricket captains, who have repeatedly appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in recent months to ensure Khan receives proper medical care.
The government's position is that Khan has been examined and found fit. In August, he was moved briefly from prison to a state-run hospital for tests and treatment following complaints about his declining health, and doctors subsequently declared him "medically fit." The transfer marked the most substantial relief Khan had received from the courts since his imprisonment in 2023. Nevertheless, his family and PTI rejected the arrangement, accusing authorities of ignoring a court order that he be assessed by physicians at a designated private hospital.
Negotiations between the two sides broke down over access as much as health. PTI said the talks failed because the government refused to let party leaders meet Khan so they could consult him on national and political matters. The party also stated that it had demanded an immediate medical examination and treatment for its founder.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi offered a different account, accusing Sohail Afridi — the chief minister of PTI-governed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — of "sabotaging" the negotiations. Naqvi claimed the provincial government had reneged on earlier commitments related to counter-terrorism, according to reports in local Pakistani media. The competing narratives underscore how deeply the dispute has become entwined with broader tensions between the federal government and Khan's provincial stronghold.
Afridi, for his part, is projecting confidence about the march's momentum. He expects the procession to reach a town roughly 80km (50 miles) west of Islamabad by Thursday. "By then this movement will have reached every corner of the country and every square will have become a centre of activity," he said on Sunday, calling on people to take an active role in the political process. His comments signal that PTI intends to frame the march not merely as a demand for one man's release but as a wider political mobilization.
Authorities in the capital are preparing for the influx. Shipping containers have been stacked along key access routes into Islamabad in an effort to block or slow the marchers' approach, a tactic Pakistani administrations have used in previous standoffs with protest movements. The precautions reflect official concern about the scale and volatility of the gathering.
That concern is rooted in recent history. Khan's arrest in May 2023 triggered large-scale, violent demonstrations in which supporters ransacked the corps commander's residence in Lahore, smashing chandeliers and carrying off furniture, paintings and even peacocks. At least eight people died during the unrest, and the army was called in to restore order. The episode remains a stark reminder of how quickly PTI street actions can escalate.
Khan's own political trajectory has been dramatic. He captained Pakistan's national cricket team before entering politics and went on to serve as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. He was first imprisoned in August 2023, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, was jailed alongside him last year. Even from behind bars, he has remained a potent force in Pakistani politics, with his supporters repeatedly taking to the streets despite the risk of crackdowns.
The pressure campaign has extended beyond the streets. On 20 September, Khan's sister Aleema Khanum was arrested in the eastern city of Lahore. The arrest order alleged that she had been mobilizing people to "create law and order situations" and was "raising/chanting objectionable slogans amongst the general public against the Government." Her detention added another flashpoint to an already charged atmosphere and gave PTI further grounds to accuse the state of targeting Khan's family.
Whether the march reaches Islamabad in force — and how authorities respond if it does — will shape Pakistan's political climate in the weeks ahead. The government's container barriers and the interior minister's accusations suggest a hard line, while PTI's determination to press on indicates that Khan's imprisonment remains one of the most combustible issues in the country. For now, his supporters are betting that sheer numbers and sustained pressure can force a change in his circumstances, even as the official position holds that he is fit, fairly tried and lawfully detained.
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