Some 30 peace activists from the US and other Western countries are also participating in the march. Media reports said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had said it would not allow the foreigners to travel to the tribal belt.
People from the garrison city of Rawalpindi and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar too joined the march. Khan will address gatherings at several places, including Mianwali, before the march enters the restive Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa province.
After halting for the night at Dera Ismail Khan, the march will leave for Kotkai tomorrow morning. A special squad of members of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has been formed to provide security to Khan and those participating in the march.
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan yesterday said it had not made any offer to provide security to the march. Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan described Imran Khan and his party as "liberal secular" entities.
Khan and all other Pakistani political leaders were "slaves of the West", he said. Authorities in northwest Pakistan have said militant groups have sent nine suicide bombers to the area around Kotkai village, where the march will conclude.
These bombers could target those participating in the rally, government sources were quoted as saying by Geo News channel.
PTI