Since being removed from power through a no-confidence vote last month, Khan has heaped pressure on the fragile coalition government of a dozen parties by staging mass rallies demanding fresh elections.
In a centrepiece showdown with his rivals, Khan is leading tens of thousands of people from his power base in Peshawar to the capital, where supporters from other cities also hope to gather.
"We will reach Islamabad at all costs. We will deal with any obstructions [...] and follow the orders of our leader," shopkeeper and protester Irfan Ahmad, 34, told AFP in Peshawar.
Chairman PTI @ImranKhanPTI has arrived at the Wali Interchange. From here, Kaptaan will lead Haqeeqi Azadi March KP Qafila towards Islamabad, Inshaa'Allah.#حقیقی_آزادی_مارچ#PakistanUnderFascism pic.twitter.com/uweemyzNW9
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 25, 2022
The government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pledged to stop Khan's supporters from pouring into the city, calling the rally an attempt to "divide the nation and promote chaos".
Islamabad police on Wednesday published a traffic plan showing a complete blockade of the capital, backed up by a heavy security presence.
Entry and exit points on key highways towards Islamabad were blocked by police in the nearest main cities of Peshawar, Lahore and Multan.
CRACKDOWN INTENSIFIES IN LAHORE
In Lahore, police deployed tear gas against Khan supporters attempting to remove roadblocks and travel to Islamabad in convoys.
Lahore police resorted to tear gas shelling and baton-charge in an effort to disperse the protesters marching towards the capital.
[caption id="attachment_189645" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Police use tear gas to disperse activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of former prime minister Imran Khan during a protest in Lahore on May 25, 2022, as all roads leading into Pakistan's capital were blocked ahead of a major protest planned by Khan and his supporters. — ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images[/caption]
It launched a crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters in a rally former minister Hammad Azhar was heading as part of the party's Lahore caravan. Dozens of protesters were arrested as they clashed with police at Bhatti Chowk neighbourhood in old Lahore.
این. اے 131 کے کارکنان کو سلام جو تمام تر تشدد کے باوجود ڈٹے رہے. ہمارے یہی کارکنان ہمارا سرمایہ ہیں. انشاءاللہ ہم ہر صورت اسلام آباد پہنچیں گے اور چئیرمین عمران خان کے ساتھ کھڑے ہوں گے.#حقیقی_آزادی_مارچ#امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور pic.twitter.com/zo2rIwGB13
— Humayun Akhtar Khan (@HumayunAkhtarK) May 25, 2022
"Nobody should be allowed to besiege the capital and dictate his terms," Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah said Tuesday.
Schools in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were closed and all exams cancelled, while a state of emergency was declared at all hospitals, with staff put on alert.
"We have seen the capital blocked before but this is something unprecedented," Islamabad private school worker Allah Ditta, 52, told AFP.
Salon worker Sawera Masih complained that the wide-scale disruption was falling hardest on daily wage workers like herself.
"Whoever is in power doesn't make a difference to us, but not earning even for a single day affects me and my family," the 23-year-old said.
