Pakistani politician Imran Khan's supporters arrested

Pakistan police have launched a nationwide crackdown, arresting up to 1,800 supporters of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in the run-up to an opposition rally planned later this week in Islamabad, according to officials.

The arrests on Monday followed intermittent clashes since the weekend between Khan's supporters and riot police in the Pakistani capital that saw police using tear gas and batons to fight stone-throwing activists.

Police have conducted raids based on tip-offs and information about planned violence, according to Zaeem Qadri, a government spokesman.

Two security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media, said the number of those arrested overnight ranges between 1,500 and 1,800.

The violence erupted again on Sunday near Khan's suburban home and at several places on Islamabad's outskirts.

On Monday, a Pakistani court barred Khan's followers from demonstrating on Islamabad streets, restricting the rally to within the limits of a city park, according to Saddique Awan, a government prosecutor.

As of last week, the government had already enforced a two-month ban on street rallies in Islamabad.

Babar Awan, Khan's attorney, said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party would appeal.

The PTI has called for massive street demonstrations for Wednesday, threatening to lock down Islamabad in a bid to force Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister, to resign.