Pakistan is turning Islamabad into a garrison to prevent supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from marching on Parliament to demand his release. Authorities have deployed more than 22,000 security personnel and positioned about 1,000 shipping containers as barricades across the capital.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf remains determined to press ahead on Sunday, setting up a confrontation with authorities who have detained his three sisters and lawmakers in a widening crackdown. Khan is serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case.

An International Monetary Fund team is in Pakistan for a review of the country's $7 billion bailout program. The mission began talks with the central bank in Karachi and is due to travel to Islamabad on Monday — a day after the planned protests.

The government has closed major highways into the capital, including key links with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Authorities imposed emergency restrictions under Section 144 across Islamabad for two months, banning gatherings of five or more people. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said there was "no possibility" that protestors would bring the country to a standstill. PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan told journalists: "When we enter Islamabad, there will be a festive atmosphere, with Pakistan flags everywhere."