Imran Khan supporters march in Pakistan to demand his release after talks failed
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talks → march → release
More than 5,000 supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan began a dayslong march toward Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release, after talks between the government and the opposition fell through.
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talks → imprison → government
The looming showdown threatens to deepen Pakistan's political uncertainty at a time when the country is also grappling with a surge in militant attacks.
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country → loom → attacks
Khan is current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's main political rival and has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated.
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he → imprison → corruption
Despite his imprisonment, he retains a substantial and passionate support base, keeping him at the center of Pakistan's turbulent political landscape.
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he → retain → landscape
The demonstrators, traveling in a convoy of trucks, buses and cars, departed from Lakki Marwat district in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Khan's party holds power.
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party → travel → power
Organizers have planned overnight stops along the route as the caravan makes its way toward the capital.
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caravan → plan → capital
Sohail Afridi, the province's chief minister, and a staunch Khan supporter is leading the march.
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Afridi → lead → march
Speaking from a specially designed container truck emblazoned with a large portrait of Khan, he expressed confidence in the movement's ability to press its demands and bring the political standoff into the heart of the capital.
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he → speak → capital
Authorities have erected roadblocks, using containers, at the entrance to Islamabad and inside the city.
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Authorities → erect → city
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, and the federal government were in talks to postpone the march but failed to reach a resolution.
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party → postpone → resolution
Gohar Khan, the party's chairman, said negotiations remained deadlocked after two rounds.
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negotiations → say → rounds
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the failure of the talks, warning that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the planned march.
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he → blame → march
Sharif's government urged postponement of the march, citing a surge in militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest.
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government → urge → northwest
His government has accused PTI of sympathizing with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
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government → accuse → Pakistan
The organizers now vow to reach the capital after rallying with hundreds of thousands of Khan supporters.
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organizers → vow → supporters
Besides Khan's release, protesters are demanding his transfer to a hospital and permission for his family to visit him.
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family → demand → him
Officials say he is in good health and receives regular family visits but maintain that meetings with the imprisoned former leader cannot be used for political purposes.
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meetings → say → purposes
The march was originally scheduled for Sept. 27 but was postponed after party leaders said authorities blocked key approaches to Islamabad, including Attock Bridge, a major crossing for convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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authorities → schedule → Pakhtunkhwa
Previous protests by Khan's supporters have turned violent, including one in 2024 in which security personnel and civilians were killed.
Khan, a former cricket star, was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.
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Khan → turn → April
Sharif returned to office after the February 2024 election, which Khan's party says was rigged to deny it victory.
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party → return → victory
The government denies the allegation.
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government → deny → allegation
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Riaz reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.
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Riaz → report → Peshawar
Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar contributed to this report.
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Mahsud → contribute → report
The Aporia
