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PTI supporters march toward Islamabad demanding Imran Khan’s release
Published : Monday, 5 October, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Observer Online Report
Collected Photo
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have begun a long march toward Islamabad demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, amid escalating tensions between the party and Pakistan’s government, PTI said on Monday.
The march began on Sunday from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where PTI is currently in power, and is expected to reach Islamabad after passing through several areas and making stops at different locations, according to the party.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is leading the march, urged supporters to take to the streets in support of Imran Khan, calling on young people to join the movement for their jailed leader.
The latest confrontation is rooted in the political tensions that intensified after Khan's PTI-led government was ousted through a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022. Khan has since alleged that the military was behind his removal, a claim the military has repeatedly denied.
The crisis deepened after Khan was arrested in May 2023. His supporters subsequently attacked military installations and violence spread across the country, triggering a widespread crackdown in which thousands of PTI leaders and activists were arrested and several supporters were later sentenced by military courts.
The 74-year-old former cricket star has described himself as a “political prisoner”. He has been convicted in several cases, although most of his sentences have either been suspended or overturned while appeals remain pending, except for one case.
The march had originally been scheduled for September 27 but was postponed after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government offered to hold talks over PTI's demands. Bilateral talks between the government and PTI broke down late last week.
Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Islamabad and surrounding areas to prevent possible unrest. Large shipping containers have also been placed to block and barricade key government areas, including the National Assembly complex, the prime minister's official residence and diplomatic zones.
The government has announced that protesters will not be allowed to enter Islamabad.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that the government would not allow any political party to disrupt normal activities and business in the capital. He said talks with PTI had failed after the party refused to cooperate with a proposed joint policy to combat militancy and terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan.
PTI rejected the government's claim, saying it had attempted to impose unfair conditions during the talks and force the party to submit. The party also pointed to a recent increase in militant and armed attacks in the border region.
Naqvi and several other government ministers have warned that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could face constitutional and legal action, including possible dissolution, if it fails to follow a state-backed joint policy against terrorism.
- MaT
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
