Tens of thousands of Pakistanis opposed to Pakistan’s ruling parties and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have breached barricades surrounding the so-called ‘red zone’ in the nation’s capital city of Islamabad on Wednesday as they fulfilled their vows to march on Parliament and other halls of power in order to reclaim the government.

Led by former cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan, who now heads the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, and cleric and activist Tahirul Qadri of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek party, the demonstrators have been marching from various regions of the country towards the city center for weeks with promises of overthrowing the current power structure.

“This is a march for democratic reforms. We want rule of law. We want true participatory democracy in our country. We want to fight for human rights, for minority rights, for women rights and to eradicate corruption from society.”  –Tahirul Qadri, the Pakistan Awami Tehreek party

According to PakTribune, Khan vowed to create a “Tahrir Square” in front of what he termed a “fraudulent parliament,” but promised not to enter the “diplomatic enclave.” A sit-in was expected overnight as the crowds grew.

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Though police and Army soldiers have so far shown little resistance to the forward movement of demonstrators, fears are growing that confrontations could result if orders are given. For its part, the Army—which holds considerable power and sway within Pakistan, including a history of government takeovers—has vowed to protect buildings but has not taken a strong stance against the protest movement.

Qadri, Khan and their supporters have accused Sharif and his political associates of mass corruption, election fraud and have protested the continued bloodshed in the tribal regions, tacit support for US drones strikes that kill civilians, and anti-democratic rule. In a statement on Tuesday, Qadri announced, “Our demand is not only the resignation of Sharif brothers, we want to change the system, to end corruption and reinforce true democracy.”

Speaking separately to CNN, Qadri said: “This is a march for democratic reforms. We want rule of law. We want true participatory democracy in our country. We want to fight for human rights, for minority rights, for women rights and to eradicate corruption from society.”

Using his Twitter account on Wednesday, Khan told his supporters and other disenfranchised Pakistanis to join their peaceful protest—known colloquially as the Azadi March—as its participants were “breaking all barriers” around the red zone, a heavily guarded section of the city that houses parliament, the nation’s supreme court, the presidential residence, and foreign embassies. He also warned police there would be consequences if those who had been “unlawfully” detained were not released.

Subsequently, on Wednesday afternoon local time, Khan declared: “Tonite we will celebrate Azadi at D Chowk”—a reference to the main intersection that passes in front of Parliament.

Offering live coverage of the events, the Pakistani newspaper The Dawn reported the protesters were “gaining ground” as they took up positions around some government buildings: