Police tear-gassed and baton-charged the rock-throwing protesters in
There was no immediate report of injuries and the violence eased as darkness fell, but a handful of protesters defying a ban on public gatherings continued to clash with police.
Police also fired tear gas and briefly clashed with protesters near Khan's house in
The protests added to rising political tension ahead of Khan's vow to lock down the capital on Wednesday to try to force Sharif to quit because of corruption allegations.
The political strife has come at an awkward time for Sharif, as relations between his ruling PML-N party and the powerful military have been strained by a newspaper leak about a security meeting that angered army officials.
Khan, a former cricket hero, told reporters outside his home that he had been placed "under almost house arrest" by scores of police officers stationed around his home in
He said he had cancelled plans to attend a rally by a political ally in
"To all my activists, you have to prepare for Nov. 2, you have to escape capture," he said.
Ban on Gatherings
Khan called for nationwide protests on Friday after 38 activists from his
Police said the rally contravened a city order issued hours earlier that banned all public gatherings in
Khan, who led a weeks-long occupation that paralysed the government quarter of Islamabad in 2014 after rejecting Sharif's decisive election win, has vowed to contest orders banning public gatherings in court.
Sheikh Rashid, a Khan ally from the Awami Muslim League (AML) party, cancelled the planned rally but joined his supporters in the streets of
TV footage showed the portly AML leader being ferried to the rally on the back of a motorbike through the side streets of
Police said they did not have orders for his arrest.
Authorities blocked main roads leading to the
A PTI source told Reuters the party's rally planned for Saturday in
Vow to Shut Schools, Airports
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmed said Khan's party would need official permission, in the form of a so-called "No Objection Certificate" (NOC), to host any events, including Wednesday's shutdown strike.
"You need an NOC for anything - whether it's a media function or a marriage function. Even for a birthday party of more than five people, you need an NOC," he told Reuters.
Khan has said next week's protests would bring a million people onto the streets and sit-ins would force the closure of schools, public offices and the main international airport.
Khan's latest challenge to Sharif's government is based on leaked documents from the Panama-based Mossack Fonseca law firm that appear to show that his daughter and two sons owned offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands. Sharif's family denies wrongdoing.
Holding offshore companies is not illegal in
The ruling party has dismissed Khan's shutdown plan as a desperate move by a politician whose popularity is waning ahead of the next general election, likely to be held in May 2018.
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