Home · World · Oct 8 archive
Pakistan Opposition Marches for Imran Khan's Release
Confirmed
In Short: Supporters of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan began a march towards Islamabad on Sunday, carrying red and green flags of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Some 5,000 people took to the streets, with fears of potential violence prompting authorities to prepare for weeks. The march, originally scheduled for September 27, was postponed until Sunday.
The demonstration, which started in Lakki Marwat, a city 275km away from Islamabad, paused for the night and is expected to resume around midday local time on Monday.
Authorities in Pakistan's capital blocked main access routes to the city with double-stacked shipping containers to prevent the march from reaching Islamabad.
Charges against Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023, range from corruption to treason and inciting violence following widespread anti-establishment riots in May 2023.
PTI supporters expressed frustration with the current state of the country, citing inflation, lawlessness, poor governance, and terrorism as major issues.
PTI chief minister Sohail Afridi expects the march to reach a town about 80km west of Islamabad by Thursday, urging people to play an active role in the political process.
Negotiations between the government and PTI representatives stalled, with demands including access to Khan by his doctor.
Khan's sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, told Al Jazeera that their father is agitated and suffering from severe anxiety, while his sister Aleema Khan was arrested from her house in Lahore.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused Afridi of 'sabotaging' negotiations, saying the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had backed out of earlier commitments on counter-terrorism issues.
What this adds
The arrest of Aleema Khan and the preventive detention orders against PTI supporters highlight the severity of current restrictions in Pakistan.
Background
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan have started a long march to Islamabad, demanding his release, according to his party.
AFP and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that authorities in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, blocked main access routes to the city with double-stacked shipping containers ahead of the planned demonstration, citing concerns over potential unrest.
What's confirmed
- Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has been arrested from her house in Lahore, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson said on Sunday.
- Some 5,000 people took to the streets on Sunday carrying red and green flags of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan have begun a march from the country's north-west as they call for his release.
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meanwhile accused Afridi of "sabotaging" negotiations, saying the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had backed out of earlier commitments on counter-terrorism issues, according to Pakistan's local media reports.
What's still developing
- Punching the air and roaring in unison, ecstatic crowds joined a growing demonstration on Wednesday in support of Pakistan's jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan, an opposition show of force that authorities had sought to avert.
- "Imran Khan wanted to establish peace in the country and eliminate corruption," said protester Pir Fayyaz, 40, a property dealer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- "I joined this procession for one reason: Imran Khan's release. I will not return under any circumstances until he is released," 58-year-old Qalandar Khan told AFP in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, ruled by the PTI.
- "The country is currently experiencing a continued decline," he told AFP.
- ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government and opposition remained locked in intense negotiations into Sunday, as the two sides sought to finalize a draft aimed at defusing political tensions hours before jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party was due to begin a march toward Islamabad.
- Foreign Policy, 1099 14th St NW, Suite 500 East, Washington, D.C., 20005.
- Downloadable PDFs are a benefit of an FP subscription.
- October 4, 2026 Pakistan Saudi Arabia Middle East World Business Opinion Lifestyle Sport Latest News / Pakistan Pakistan government, opposition in marathon talks as Imran Khan party march looms Home Israeli strike kills five, including four women, in Gaza, health officials say Israeli strike kills five, including four women, in Gaza, health officials say Israel, which says Hamas has been rearming and launching attacks in violation of the ceasefire, has stepped up strikes on the group in recent weeks.
- However, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi earlier said that the government would take all measures necessary to stop the planned protest.
- The preventive 30-day detention orders issued by authorities accused them of “mobilising supporters via social media and incitement against state institutions”, according to an order seen by AFP journalists.
- “Aleema Khan left her home in the morning with the driver when the police illegally arrested her and took her to an unknown location,” her lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer said in a post on X.
- T alks between Pakistan’s government and representatives of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party stalled Sunday, as supporters said they would proceed with a planned protest march.
Sources
- AFPlink
- Arab News PKlink
- Foreignpolicylink
- Arabnewslink
- The Indian Expresslink
- Globalvillagespacelink
- BBClink
- Al Jazeeralink
- Turkiyetodaylink
- Theannapurnaexpresslink
- Saudigazettelink
- Tribunelink
- Gulfnewslink
- Newslink
- WarpBeat — background on Thousands March for Imran Khan's Release in Pakistan link
- WarpBeat — background on Pakistan Blocks Access to Capital Ahead of Khan Protest March link
- News18 Urdu — video link