Thousands of protesters marched towards Islamabad on Thursday to urge the government to step down, rousing alarm for political instability in Pakistan.

The demonstrators are claiming that the government is corrupt and implores it to withdraw from the office, according to The Irish Times.

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One of the two groups that marched from the city of Lahore was led by Imran Khan, a politician from the opposition. The other group was led by cleric and activist Tahir ul-Qadri.

The protesters were barred at first but were later on allowed to continue with their rally. The tens of thousands of marchers caused vehicle pile-up due to the traffic they created.

Although the leaders of the march are not known allies, both see Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a common enemy.

Qadri, who was once a cleric has turned into an activist whose supporters, was involved in multiple deadly run-ins with the police.

Security in Islamabad has been tightened and police were deployed all over the capital to prevent any untoward incidents from taking place.

In a statement by Qadri's spokesman, it said the marchers planned to go directly to Jinnah Avenue which is nearby top government embassies and offices. He said they intend to stay there until the government meets their demands and Sharif steps down from his position.

The march was a move intended to help Pakistanis who suffer from inflation, unemployment and constant power cuts. Qadri pledged that the underserved Pakistani will have housing plans, employment and proper compensation for those being exploited at work. bout the violence his supporters have been experiencing from the police.

Meanwhile, Khan is requesting for an investigation into the May 2013 election where he claims he was cheated.

TagsPakistan, protesters, anti-government