
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's imprisoned former premier Imran Khan have defied a lockdown and widespread arrests to head to the capital Monday to demand his release. Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated.
The 'long march' comes ahead of a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Islamabad. The convoy of vehicles carrying protesters is expected to reach the capital later Monday. Security officials say they expect between 9,000-11,000 demonstrators, while the PTI claims the number will be much higher.