Scores of Pakistani police officers were reportedly wounded by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan during clashes near the country's capital.
A heavily armed convoy of anti-government demonstrators "fired on the police and continuously used tear gas against law enforcers," Interior Minister Moshin Naqvi told reporters Saturday, according to Reuters.
More than 80 officers have been treated for injuries since Friday, Naqvi said.
The cops had been ordered not to carry any guns in an attempt to prevent violence, Naqvi said, and soldiers have been deployed to increase security in the capital, Islamabad.
Naqvi also said Khan's supporters planned to gather in the city's red zone, home to the Parliament and a fortified enclave of foreign embassies, Reuters reported.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has denied using violence and said it wants to hold a peaceful protest, according to Reuters.
Authorities suspended cellphone service and used shipping containers to try to keep tens of thousands of Khan supporters from rallying in Islamabad, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Khan was ousted through a no-confidence vote in 2022 and arrested last year after he was sentenced to three years for graft.
In January, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, one day after Khan was sentenced to 10 years for leaking state secrets.
The latter conviction was overturned on appeal in June.
