Thousands of supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan began a long march towards Islamabad on Sunday, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi from Lakki Marwat, after weekend negotiations between his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government ended in deadlock. The PTI says talks failed because officials refused to guarantee its leaders access to Khan, whose family says he has lost most of the vision in one eye in prison, and because it opposed unilateral counterterrorism measures in KP; the government blames Afridi for backing out of commitments. Authorities have blocked roads around the capital and imposed restrictions in several KP districts, and ministers have threatened governor's rule or an emergency in the province, raising fears of renewed unrest in a country where earlier pro-Khan protests turned deadly.