Imran Khan Supporters March on Islamabad as Health Fears and Stalled Talks Fuel Protest

Thousands of demonstrators loyal to imprisoned former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan are making their way toward Islamabad, pressing the government to free the 73-year-old politician whose health has become an escalating concern among his family and allies.

The procession set off from Lakki Marwat, a city roughly 275km (171 miles) from the capital, with participants waving the red-and-green banners of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Organisers estimated the crowd at around 5,000 people. The march halted overnight and was expected to pick up again around midday local time on Monday.

The timing of the protest reflects mounting frustration over Khan's treatment behind bars. His relatives say he has lost most of the vision in his right eye after prison officials neglected to act on his condition — an allegation that has intensified calls both inside Pakistan and abroad for independent medical oversight.

Khan, a former cricket captain who led Pakistan's national team before entering politics, has been embroiled in more than 100 legal cases. He was handed a 17-year sentence on corruption charges last year. He has consistently maintained that every case against him is politically motivated and designed to keep him out of public life.

His imprisonment began in August 2023. His wife, Bushra Bibi, was jailed alongside him last year, further cementing the family's sense of persecution at the hands of the state.

The latest march was originally planned for last week but was pushed back to create space for negotiations between the government and PTI. Those talks ultimately collapsed, with each side blaming the other for the failure.

According to PTI, the government refused its request to let party leaders meet Khan so they could consult him on national and political matters. The party also said it had asked for Khan to receive an immediate medical examination and treatment — demands it says went unanswered.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi offered a different account, accusing Sohail Afridi — the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is governed by PTI — of sabotaging the negotiations. Naqvi claimed the provincial government had backed away from earlier commitments related to counter-terrorism, according to local media reports.

Afridi, for his part, projected confidence about the scale of the mobilisation. He said he expected the march to reach a town roughly 80km (50 miles) west of Islamabad by Thursday, predicting that by then "this movement will have reached every corner of the country and every square will have become a centre of activity." He urged citizens to take an active role in the political process.

In preparation for the approaching crowds, authorities in Islamabad have stacked shipping containers across key roads leading into the capital, a tactic Pakistani security forces have used repeatedly in recent years to seal off the city during political unrest.

Khan's legal troubles have not dimmed his influence. Even from a prison cell, he remains a potent force in Pakistani politics, capable of drawing large crowds and shaping national debate. Past demonstrations in his support have at times spiralled into deadly violence, prompting heavy-handed crackdowns by security forces.

The current push follows a brief but significant episode in August, when Khan was moved from jail to a state-run hospital for examination and treatment after complaints that his health was deteriorating. Doctors later declared him "medically fit" — a conclusion his family and party rejected, criticising authorities for ignoring a court order that he be assessed by physicians at a specific private hospital.

That hospital transfer marked the most meaningful relief Khan had received from the courts since his 2023 imprisonment. His supporters saw it as a partial concession, but far short of what they consider necessary.

Tensions have also been stoked by the arrest of Khan's sister, Aleema Khanum, on 20 September in the eastern city of Lahore. The arrest order alleged that she had been mobilising people to "create law and order situations" and was "raising/chanting objectionable slogans amongst the general public against the Government."

The backdrop to the current standoff is deeply rooted in Pakistan's recent political history. Khan served as prime minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was removed from office through a parliamentary vote of no confidence. His arrest in May 2023 triggered large-scale, violent protests in which supporters ransacked the corps commander's residence in Lahore, hauling away furniture, paintings and even peacocks. At least eight people died in the unrest, and the army had to be deployed to restore order.

Concern about Khan's wellbeing has also drawn attention from the world of cricket, where he built his reputation as one of the sport's most celebrated all-rounders. Several former international captains have appealed to current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in recent months, urging that Khan be given proper medical care.

As the march inches closer to the capital, the standoff carries significant implications. A large-scale confrontation could further destabilise a country already grappling with economic strain and security challenges, while any concession by the government risks being read as weakness. For PTI, the procession is both a test of its organisational strength and a gamble that public pressure can force a change in Khan's circumstances.