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Thousands of supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have rallied in support of the imprisoned opposition leader, with organizers now vowing to march on the capital, Islamabad.
Besides demanding Khan’s release, the protesters are calling for his transfer to a hospital and for his family to be allowed to visit him.
Government officials, however, say Khan is in good health and receives regular family visits. They maintain that such meetings cannot be used for political purposes.
The march was originally scheduled for September 27 but was postponed after party leaders alleged that authorities had blocked key routes into Islamabad, including the Attock Bridge, a major crossing used by convoys travelling from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Previous demonstrations by Khan’s supporters have sometimes turned violent. During a major protest in 2024, both security personnel and civilians were killed.
Khan, a former international cricket star, was removed from office through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Shehbaz Sharif returned as prime minister following the February 2024 general election, which Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has alleged was manipulated to prevent it from winning.
The government has denied the allegation.