Pro-Imran Khan mass rally launched after Pakistan government talks fail

Government warns of crackdown as supporters of jailed former prime set off from northwest Pakistan towards Islamabad.Supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have set off on a protest march from the country’s northwest after talks with the government to call off the demonstration failed.More than 5,000 were reported to have begun the rally on Sunday. The march, planned by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was originally scheduled for September 27 but was postponed until October 4 to allow talks between the government and the PTI leadership to take place.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How was Flydubai co-pilot cleared despite being deemed a security risk?list 2 of 3‘Did he know?’: Why Israel is rejecting an October 7 reckoninglist 3 of 3Philippines arrests 244 suspects in online scam crackdownend of listHowever, two rounds of talks over the weekend failed to break the deadlock, and the PTI decided to carry out its plan, which is the latest attempt to pressure the government into releasing Khan, the country’s most popular political figure according to polls, who has been behind bars since August 2023 following a series of convictions that his party calls politically motivated.All but one of the convictions against the former PM have since been suspended or overturned on appeal.Videos posted on the PTI’s official social media showed supporters joining the march in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which is ruled by the party, and setting off in convoys.Sohail Afridi, the region’s chief minister, had earlier posted on social media that the demonstration in support of Khan would go ahead.He said the march will make its way to Khairabad, 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Islamabad, by Thursday, where the plan for the “next phase” will be announced.Government warns protestersThe government has been preparing for weeks for the arrival of PTI demonstrators in Islamabad. It has erected barriers using shipping containers to block main access routes to the capital.