ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Diya TV) — Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan continued their protest march Thursday, demanding his release, hospital treatment and access for his family as a mediator sought to restart negotiations with the government.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leads the procession, which began Oct. 4 in Lakki Marwat. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party governs the northwestern province.
Party officials said the convoy would reach Swabi on Oct. 11 before proceeding toward Attock and Islamabad. That timetable replaces earlier plans to reach an area near the capital by Thursday.
PTI provincial information secretary Shaukat Yousafzai said religious and political leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman was trying to resolve the deadlock after two rounds of government-party talks failed. Yousafzai said the parties had no direct contact and maintained that access to Khan remained essential to any agreement.
Authorities have placed shipping containers on roads into Islamabad and around its government district. The federal government has said it will not allow protesters to enter the capital.
The sides disagree over why negotiations collapsed. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed the provincial government’s position on counterterrorism cooperation. PTI rejected that explanation and accused federal officials of pressuring the party into concessions.
Khan’s family alleges that prison authorities have neglected his medical needs. The government rejects those allegations and says medical and prison records do not support them. Protest organizers want authorities to transfer him to a hospital and ease restrictions on visits.
Khan has remained imprisoned since August 2023. He and his party describe the cases against him as politically motivated; the government disputes that claim.
The former cricket captain served as prime minister from 2018 until parliament removed him through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
