Imran Khan protest talks stall in Pakistan

Talks between Pakistan's government and representatives of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party stalled on Sunday as supporters said they would proceed with a planned protest march.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, an opposition politician, told Geo TV that last-minute negotiations with Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party were in “deadlock”. He said the impasse involved demands including access to Khan by his doctor.

Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, posted on X that the “long march” in support of Khan would go ahead. He said the demonstration was to begin in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday and reach Khairabad, about 80 kilometres west of Islamabad, by Thursday. He did not specify when demonstrators could arrive in the capital.

Authorities in Islamabad have blocked main access routes with double-stacked shipping containers, obstructing traffic and public transit, in preparation for the protest.

Khan, 73, has been jailed since August 2023 and faces charges including corruption, treason and inciting violence after anti-establishment riots in May 2023. Khan and his legal team reject the allegations, calling them politically motivated. PTI has also called for the release of Khan's three sisters, whose arrests last month increased tensions.