Approximately 5,000 supporters of Imran Khan, the jailed former Prime Minister of Pakistan, marched towards Islamabad on Sunday, advocating for his release. Concerns regarding Khan's health have intensified, with his family alleging that he has significantly lost vision in his right eye due to inadequate medical attention in prison. Khan, who has been imprisoned for 17 years on corruption charges, claims that the cases against him are politically motivated.
Despite his incarceration, Khan continues to influence Pakistani politics, with previous demonstrations in his support resulting in violence and government crackdowns. The march commenced in Lakki Marwat, located 275 kilometers from Islamabad, and paused overnight, with plans to resume around midday local time on Monday.
Initially set for the previous week, the march was delayed to facilitate discussions between the government and Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which ultimately ended without agreement. Khan faces numerous charges, including leaking state secrets and selling state gifts, and was first imprisoned in August 2023. His wife, Bushra Bibi, was also jailed alongside him.
Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is governed by PTI, anticipates that the march will reach a town approximately 80 kilometers west of Islamabad by Thursday. He encouraged citizens to engage actively in the political process, asserting that the movement would spread nationwide.
In preparation for the march, authorities in Islamabad have erected shipping containers to obstruct key access routes to the capital. The PTI stated that negotiations with the government failed because officials denied their request for access to Khan for discussions on national and political matters. The party also called for Khan to receive immediate medical evaluation and treatment.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused Afridi of undermining negotiations, claiming that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had reneged on prior commitments regarding counter-terrorism. In August, Khan was briefly moved to a state hospital for medical evaluation, where he was later declared medically fit. This was the first significant relief he received from the courts since his imprisonment.
Khan's family and the PTI criticized the authorities for not complying with a court order for him to be examined by specific physicians at a private hospital. On September 20, Khan's sister, Aleema Khanum, was arrested in Lahore, with the arrest order citing her involvement in mobilizing protests against the government.
Khan, who captained the Pakistan national cricket team and served as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, faced violent protests following his arrest in May 2023, which resulted in at least eight fatalities and required military intervention to restore order. Former international cricket captains have recently appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for Khan to receive appropriate medical care.