Supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan began a march toward Islamabad on Sunday, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP, a north-western province and his party's stronghold) chief minister Sohail Afridi, after weekend talks with the government collapsed over Khan's access and counterterrorism policy. The government has called the march illegal, deployed thousands of security personnel and barricaded the capital, while Khan's party says he is held in solitary confinement with health problems; Afridi's convoy is due to reach Khairabad by Oct 8 before announcing its next step. The standoff matters because Khan, in prison since 2023, remains Pakistan's most popular politician, and the military-backed government faces economic strain, rising militancy and fears of violence or emergency rule in KP.