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Imran Khan at the head of the protest march
Photo: ABDUL MAJEED / AFP
Deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has led a protest march toward the capital, Islamabad.
Thousands of supporters of Khan and his PTI party took part in the demonstration on Wednesday.
Khan had called for a "long march" from Peshawar in the north-east of the country to Islamabad in order to put pressure on Shehbaz Sharif's government.
The Khan, who took office in 2018, was overthrown in April by a vote of no confidence in the Pakistani National Assembly.
Parliament elected conservative politician Sharif as his successor.
Before Khan's ouster, the opposition had accused him of economic mismanagement and a devastating foreign policy, and a coalition partner had left his government.
Khan described his ouster as the result of a "conspiracy" involving foreign participation against him.
After the no-confidence vote against him, Khan had repeatedly called for mass demonstrations.
Khan flew in by helicopter, speaking from the top of a truck
The 69-year-old former cricket star calls for immediate new elections.
Khan flew in by helicopter for the protest march on Wednesday.
He landed amid hundreds of vehicles and supporters on a stretch of expressway near the city of Mardan, some 100 kilometers northwest of Islamabad.
"No obstacle will stop us, we will overcome all obstacles and reach Islamabad," Khan shouted from the top of a truck.
The organizers had planned for the crowd to take cars and buses to the Islamabad city limits and then march on foot.
In order to stop the protest march, the government closed all roads around Islamabad and deployed a large number of security forces.
The main access and exit roads were also blocked near the cities of Lahore, Multan and Peshawar.
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Demonstrators and police officers injured
According to the AP news agency, Khan's supporters threw stones and the police used tear gas.
Photos show how the demonstrators cleared specially set up containers that blocked their way.
Several protesters and police officers were injured, according to the AP.
"No one should be allowed to besiege the capital and dictate their terms," Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said of the protests on Tuesday.
slu/AFP/AP
