Pakistan capital locked down as former PM Imran Khan supporters rally

Pakistan's capital has been locked down, swarmed by security forces with mobile internet cut as supporters of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan attempted to seize the streets in protest.

On Saturday, small and scattered convoys pressed in on Islamabad in defiance of the government which approved troops for deployment on the streets.

"I am so proud of all our people," said a message from Khan posted on the social media site X.

"You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday and overcame unbelievable obstacles."

Khan was barred from standing in the February elections that were marred by allegations of rigging, and sidelined by dozens of legal cases.

But his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has defied a crackdown to needle the government with regular demonstrations.

PTI supporters began driving to Islamabad on Friday from his powerbase in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province but were met with shipping container roadblocks and volleys of tear gas.

Infringement on 'people's right'

Protests were also due on Saturday in Lahore, however, the main motorway linking the eastern megacity to the capital was blocked.

Over 80 police personnel have been injured in clashes with protesters, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday.

He said more than 80 police officers had been treated for injuries since Friday when clashes broke out just outside the city during a rally.

Amnesty International said the communications cuts and road blockades "infringe on people's right to freedom of expression, access to information, peaceful assembly and movement".

"These restrictions are part of a worrying clampdown on the right to protest in Pakistan," the rights group said.

Social media site X has also been blocked across Pakistan since after the election, when mobile internet was likewise cut on polling day and PTI allege widespread vote tampering took place.

The 72-year-old Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after allegedly falling out with the powerful military establishment considered Pakistan's political kingmakers.

As opposition leader he led an unprecedented campaign of defiance before becoming tangled in slews of court cases he claims have been orchestrated to prevent his return to power.