A PTI leader has told BBC Urdu that Imran Khan's supporters are on Faisal Avenue, about six kilometres away from D Chowk.

D Chowk is a key point in central Islamabad near government buildings, the Supreme Court and parliament.

While a drive to D Chowk on a regular day can take less than 10 minutes, today's protesters will need to navigate their way through barricades and authorities firing tear gas shells at them.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has repeatedly warned that protesters who reach D Chowk will be punished.

Security forces have fired tear gas shells to stop Imran Khan's supporters from advancing towards central islamabad.

Here are the latest images from the ground.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

As tensions rise in the capital, Pakistan's authorities have deployed the army to parts of the capital under Article 245 of the Constitution, Islamabad official Irfan Memon confirmed to BBC Urdu.

The article states that the armed forces, upon the federal government's orders, should defend Pakistan against external aggression or in aid of civil power. It also states that government directives issued under the law cannot be challenged in any court.

Article 245 was previously invoked by Imran Khan's government during the pandemic to implement lockdowns.

Authorities told BBC Urdu that several security personnel have been killed and more than 100 injured as a result of the PTI protest.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned earlier of a strong government response, including the use of Article 245 and the imposition of a curfew, should the violence escalate. He also emphasised that PTI supporters would not be allowed to enter D Chowk, the square in central Islamabad where protesters are headed.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the march by Imran Khan's supporters to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

• Protesters have entered the city and are now on the main Srinagar highway, where they have been violently clashing with police
• In response to escalating tensions, the government called on the army on Monday night to secure the capital
• Protest leaders told the BBC on Tuesday morning that they have reached "zero point", which is where the boundaries of the red zone begin and where the administration says it has stationed military personnel
• The protesters are headed to D Chowk, a key point in central Islamabad, where they will make a "final call" for Khan's release
• They will need to cross rows upon rows of containers that have been placed throughout the city to block them

• Since the convoys started over the weekend, at least one policeman has died while 50 others were hurt
• Khan's wife Bushra Bibi, who is also taking part in a convoy, has said protesters won't stop until he is released

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Supporters of Imran Khan - Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister – are continuing to march towards the capital Islamabad – here’s what’s been happening today:

• A convoy heading to D-Chowk - a large square in the capital - is approaching Islamabad; police in the square are geared up with riot shields, with the area protected by large barricades set up with shipping containers
• Khan's wife Bushra Bibi, who is also taking part in a convoy, has said protesters won't stop until he is released; her convoy is also approaching the city, said to be around 40km away from their intended destination
• There had been reports of clashes between protesters and the police, with officers saying they had stones thrown at them – the protesters claimed they were rushed at by police with batons
• The Islamabad High Court has ruled that the protest, led by Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is unlawful
• This comes as Islamabad prepares to receive Belarus' President, Aleksandr Lukashenko, for a three-day visit

We are now pausing our live coverage, but you can read more in our story:

• Thousands of Imran Khan supporters converge on Pakistan capital

As we've been reporting, thousands of protestors are marching towards Islamabad, hoping to gather in D Chowk - a large town square near a number of significant government buildings, including the prime minister's office, parliament and the supreme court.

Our reporters on the ground have sent us pictures from the scene near the square, where a heavy police presence can be seen.

Images also show a wall of stacked containers - which have led to some residents nicknaming the city 'Containeristan'.

Caroline Davies
Reporting from D-Chowk, Islamabad

Roads to this key point in Islamabad remain blocked with shipping containers.

The streets are lined with coaches that have carried police from around the county to the capital.

Paramilitaries in riot gear are lined up, water canon ready, but for now the atmosphere is calm as the protestors are yet to reach the city.

As news broke that the protestors were on the move, the police began to close more streets and move some of their officers around the city.

A convoy of protesters from the south-western province of Balochistan, which has travelled for four days and includes women and children, is near Islamabad. ​​

Among them is Zulekha Aziz Mandokhail who says that they are waiting for the main convoy led by Ali Amin Gandapur to arrive.

The convoys from Punjab, Balochistan, and Ali Amin Gandapur's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are then expected to reach Islamabad together.

​​ ​Zulekha Aziz Mandokhail said that they had left for Islamabad on 22 November but were stopped and forced by police to disembark from there vehicles.​​ ​​ Some children fell ill along the way and had to receive medical attention, she said. ​​ ​​

Besides bringing tea leaves and dried fruits for their journey, the supporters also brought masks and large fans with them to repel tear gas.

The convoy is still about 40km away from it's intended destination, D-Chowk.

Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi says protesters are going to reach Islamabad by "removing obstacles".

In a new video shared on the X account of Khan's PTI party, Bushra Bibi says protesters have been moving towards the capital since 24 November under Khan's orders.

Image source, Getty Images

Imran Khan has been behind bars for over a year, but he remains a dominant force of Pakistan's opposition politics.

His name is still in the papers and the courts. His social media supporters have been unrelenting.

Since he was ousted from power in 2022 and jailed the following year, Khan's lawyers and family have become his messengers, painting him as an unbowing leader.

Outside the walls of his prison, Khan's supporters have proven to be a powerful force, staging large-scale protests, such as today's march to the capital, Islamabad.

Read more about Khan's enduring influence here.

As we've been reporting, supporters of Imran Khan, who have been marching since the weekend, are closing in on Islamabad.

The city has been fortified by authorities, with a large police presence and physical blockades such as containers set up to try to stop the rally.

The sight of container vans blocking the streets has become a common sight that locals have nicknamed their city 'Containeristan'.

The convoy led by Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi and lawmaker Ali Amin Gandapur from Peshawar is proceeding towards Islamabad.

She addressed the convoy earlier at a key motorway around 50km (31 miles) away from Islamabad, saying they would not end the march until Khan is released.

As Imran Khan's supporters made their way to Islamabad, leaders of his PTI party visited him in Adiala Jail, in the city of Rawalpindi.

PTI's caretaker chairman, Gohar Ali Khan, and lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan were among the delegation that met the incarcerated leader on Monday.

Last night, Imran Khan's supporters chanted slogans in support of the jailed prime minister - first demanding for him to be released, then saying there are uncountable people who support him.

Police shot tear gas at the supporters, while protesters used slings to fire projectiles down a road in Swabi, in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Tensions between the two sides escalated into violence on Monday as thousands of people rallying for Khan's release marched towards the capital of Islamabad.

Caroline Davies
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

The crackdowns against Imran Khan's supporters mark the latest phase in a long game of cat and mouse between the PTI and the authorities.

While the country's powerful military had long snuffed out dissent through crackdowns, PTI's deft use of social media has created a new kind of political threat that authorities are now struggling to contain.

In September, tens of thousands made their way towards Islamabad, calling for Khan's release - defying a ban on rallies imposed by the government.

So what does this power struggle mean for Pakistan?

"At best this is a dangerous distraction," says Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre think tank in Washington. "But at worst, it could be something that destabilises the country even more. It makes it all the more difficult to address Pakistan’s economic and security challenges."

Read more here.

Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi has addressed the convoy led by lawmaker Ali Amin Gandapur from Peshawar to Islamabad.

"Until Khan comes to us, we will not end this march," said Bushra Bibi, who was sentenced alongside Khan in January but released on bail in late October.

"I will stand till my last breath and you have to support me," she said.

"This is not just about my husband but about this country and its leader," she said.

Farhat Javed
BBC Urdu in Islamabad

Islamabad has earned a new nickname from locals - “Containeristan” or “the land of containers.” It’s a fitting label for a city now accustomed to shipping containers blocking its roads and streets as the nation grapples with political unrest.

The city resembles a fortress today, with heavy police and paramilitary deployments and rows of containers barricading the streets. These are meant to stop Imran Khan's supporters, who are determined to march to the capital.

Social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram are partially suspended in Islamabad, with authorities warning that mobile services could also be cut if the protests escalate further.

For Islamabad’s residents, daily life is in disarray. Schools are closed, and workers face an uphill battle to reach their offices. Businesses reliant on the internet, particularly ride-hailing and food delivery services, are at a standstill.

“It’s exhausting,” says one resident. “Every day there’s something new, but the containers are always there.”

Khan has billed today's protest as the "final call" to meet three demands, including his release from jail, along with hundreds of party workers who were detained over the last two years.

For Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and the PTI, it’s a “do or die” moment. For the first time, Bushra Bibi is leading protests herself, aiming to inject fresh energy into a movement that many see as fatigued from daily demonstrations.

Clashes have erupted in the city's suburbs, with footage showing PTI supporters setting police vehicles ablaze and hurling stones. The party claims that many of its members have been arrested in crackdowns across country.

As the city holds its breath, it’s clear that the standoff is far from over—and Islamabad’s streets remain as blocked as the political impasse gripping the nation.

Image source, EPA

Imran Khan's supporters are marching towards Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. Here's what has happened so far:

• Thousands of people from all over Pakistan have been marching to the capital city since yesterday, demanding Khan's release from prison
• Islamabad has been placed under lockdown in a bid to stop protesters - with major roads closed, highways leading to the city blocked, and mobile service suspended
• The Islamabad High Court has ruled that the protest, led by Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is unlawful
• There are reports of clashes between protesters and police in multiple locations near Islamabad, with police claiming they were pelted with stones, while PTI says that police fired tear gas and used baton charges against protesters
• Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was released from prison last month after being granted bail in a case linked to the illegal sale of state gifts, is also part of the protest convoy

Farhat Javed
BBC Urdu

Islamabad today feels like a fortress closed on all sides. There is a large security presence, and roads are blocked with containers.

On our way through the city this morning, we passed by many plain clothes women police officers. One was standing with her two-year-old child on one shoulder and her clothes and bag on the other.

When asked why she had brought her child along, she said there was no one to take care of the child. She had been told that her duty here would last four days.

"If there is tear gas shelling, I will take my child and run away," she said.

Elsewhere, a police official on duty said that she had made special arrangements to avoid the shelling: he brought salt, eye spray, rose water, towels, handkerchiefs, and a big bottle of water - all to defend herself from tear gas shelling.

Apart from the entrances and exits of the city, roads have been blocked in various places. The uncertainty this time is unprecedented.

The main convoy of protesters is expected to reach Islamabad this afternoon, an official of Khan's PTI party tells BBC Urdu.

The convoy, headed by Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of PTI stronghold Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, left their capital city, Peshawar, on Sunday afternoon.

Khan's wife Bushra Bibi is also in this convoy. PTI official Irfan Saleem says they might be able enter Islamabad by noon (07:00 GMT) if they don't face many obstacles on the way.

They have just crossed Haru Bridge and are moving towards an area with a heavy police presence.