Supporters of Imran Khan, Pakistan's former prime minister, have started a march towards the capital Islamabad to demand his release from prison.

Mr Khan, a former cricket star, was jailed in 2023 on corruption charges that he and his party argue were politically motivated.

On Sunday, more than 5,000 of Mr Khan's supporters set off from the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party holds power, after talks between the government and the opposition over a postponement of the march fell through.

Sohail Afridi, the province's chief minister and a staunch supporter of Mr Khan, is leading the march to Islamabad.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government had called for the march to be postponed, citing a surge in militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Mr Afridi for the failure of the talks, warning that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the planned march.

Steel shipping containers, filled with sand ​and welded together, have lined the roads into Islamabad for weeks in preparation for the march, which was originally due to take place on 27 September.

The containers, seized from lorry drivers, are ready to be used as roadblocks at ​key entry points into Islamabad.

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Mr Khan was removed from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Mr Sharif returned to office after the February 2024 election, which Mr Khan's party has claimed was rigged to deny it victory.

The government denies the allegation.