Imran Khan supporters march in Pakistan to demand his release after talks failed

ISLAMABAD -- 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. 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.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. Despite his imprisonment, he retains a substantial and passionate support base, keeping him at the center of Pakistan’s turbulent political 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. Organizers have planned overnight stops along the route as the caravan makes its way toward the capital. Sohail Afridi, the province’s chief minister, and a staunch Khan supporter is leading the march. Speaking from a specially designed container truck emblazoned with a large portr...