PTI Activists Initiate March Toward Islamabad Following Collapse of Government Talks

Authorities warn of a possible crackdown as supporters of the jailed former prime minister set off from Pakistan’s northwest toward Islamabad.

Supporters of the imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have launched a protest march from the nation’s northwest after negotiations with the government to cancel the demonstration broke down.

Officials reported that more than 5,000 participants kicked off the rally on Sunday. Organized by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, the march was initially set for September 27 but was postponed to October 4 to give the government and PTI leadership time to negotiate.

Two rounds of talks over the weekend ended without resolution, prompting the PTI to proceed with its plan—the latest effort to pressure the government into freeing Khan, whom polls show as Pakistan’s most popular political figure. Khan has been detained since August 2023 after a series of convictions that his party denounces as politically motivated.

All except one of the convictions against the former prime minister have been suspended or overturned on appeal.

Videos shared on the PTI’s official social‑media accounts depicted supporters joining the march from various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province—governed by the party—and departing in convoys.

Sohail Afridi, the province’s chief minister, had previously announced on social media that the demonstration in support of Khan would proceed as planned.

He added that the march is expected to reach Khairabad—about 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Islamabad—by Thursday, when the details of the “next phase” will be revealed.

Government warns protesters

Authorities have been preparing for weeks for the arrival of PTI demonstrators in Islamabad, erecting barriers made of shipping containers to block the main routes into the capital.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on Sunday that the talks between the two sides had collapsed, accusing Afridi of “sabotaging” the negotiations and stating that the government would not permit the PTI to “create a disturbance”.

He also referenced an Islamabad High Court ruling from September 14, which holds that no political party or its leadership possesses the “lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas, or buildings in Islamabad”.

“If they defy the order—whether they are workers or politicians, protesting inside KP or elsewhere—we will pursue them individually,” Naqvi said. “This time we aim to put an end to these recurring disturbances in Islamabad.”

Concerns about the 73‑year‑old Khan’s health—especially the condition of his right eye, which has needed months of specialist treatment—have fueled the PTI’s campaign for his release.

The party has also demanded the release of Khan’s three sisters, whose arrests last month have further intensified the situation.

James Dorsey, a fellow at the National University of Singapore, described Khan as “essentially a populist leader” who heads “a genuine popular movement with broad popular support”.

He said this underlies the government’s “determination to prevent the protesters from entering Islamabad,” he told AFP.

He added that, given Pakistan’s security concerns—especially the unresolved February 2026 clash with Afghanistan—Islamabad seeks to avoid escalation in the face of the protests.

“It poses a challenge for the government, but I do not view it as an existential threat,” he said.

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