Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Khan rally to demand his release

Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister rallied Monday in the country’s volatile northwest to mark the first anniversary of his arrest and demand his immediate release, officials said.

The protest is part of Imram Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI opposition party’s campaign aimed at pressuring the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to free him without any further delay.

The rally was held in Swabi, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party rules.

More than 10,000 supporters of Khan were seen waving the party’s flags and chanting slogans in his favor in Swabi. Top party leaders in their speeches told the demonstrators that Khan would soon be among them, though they did not elaborate.

It was one of the biggest protests since 2022 when Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament.

Ali Amin Gundapur, the chief minister in the province, asked the demonstrators to get ready for a march on Islamabad in the coming weeks, as PTI plans to hold a big protest in the capital later this month or early next month. He said PTI would defy any ban if it was not allowed to hold the rally in the nation's capital.

Supporters of Imran Khan take a part in a rally to mark the first anniversary of his arrest in Swabi, Pakistan. AP

Khan was arrested on August 5, 2023, after a court in Islamabad handed him a 3-year jail sentence in a graft case. Despite his multiple convictions, Khan remains a leading figure.

In recent months, all of his convictions have been either suspended or overthrown. However, the former premier will remain behind bars as he awaits a slew of cases pending against him, which his party says are fake and politically motivated.

Sharif’s government has denied those accusations, saying Khan has been given the chance of a fair trial.

In his earlier statement Khan, who blames the military for his ouster and 12-month-old imprisonment on what he calls trumped-up charges, said  it would be "foolish" not to have an excellent relationship with the army.

Ahead of Monday's anniversary of his jailing on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, Khan also said in written responses to Reuters questions that he held no grudge against the United States, which he has also blamed for his 2022 ouster from office.

"Given Pakistan's geographical position and the military's significant role in the private sector, it would be foolish not to foster such a relationship," Khan wrote in replies relayed by his media and legal team.

"We are proud of our soldiers and armed forces," he said.

Imran Khan’s supporters shout slogans during a rally in Swabi, Pakistan, on Monday. AFP

Khan said his criticism since his ouster had been directed at individuals, not the military as an institution.

"The miscalculations of the military leadership shouldn't be held against the institution as a whole," he wrote.

On Wednesday, the opposition leader offered to hold "conditional negotiations" with the South Asian nation's military - if "clean and transparent" elections were held and "bogus" cases against his supporters were dropped.

Pakistan's army and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Khan's remarks to Reuters. They have both repeatedly denied his assertions about his ouster.

The United States also denies any role in it.

"The relationships between countries should always prioritise the welfare of their respective nations. When people vote you into office, you do not have the liberty to act on personal grievances," Khan said.

In his replies, the 71-year-old former cricket star did not specify what he wanted to discuss with the military.

Agencies