Thousands of Pakistani police and paramilitary soldiers were deployed in Islamabad today for the Olympic torch relay, as Australia braced for clashes between pro-Tibet supporters and Chinese students.
Embarking on the first leg of its relay in Asia after being beset by protests through Europe and the Americas, the torch arrived in the Pakistani capital amid heightened security even though officials said there had been no specific threat.
Pakistan is a staunch ally of China and officials said they did not expect any anti-China protests as there is no Tibetan community in Pakistan. But the country has been hit by a series of militant bomb attacks.
Authorities have skipped plans for a 2-km (1 mile) torch run along Islamabad's main boulevard for security reasons and have confined the event to a sports stadium.
Police, some on horses, stood guard around the stadium and others were posted on rooftops. Roads around the Jinnah Stadium were blocked and only people with invitations were allowed in.
"I've come only to have a glimpse of the torch though I know I can't go to stadium because I don't have an invitation card," said 18-year-old college, Abeer Malik, waiting near the stadium.
Hundreds of school children waving Pakistani and Chinese flags were taken by bus to the ceremony that will include folk dances and fireworks. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani are due to watch Pakistani athletes carry the torch.
The global relay has sparked chaos in San Francisco, London and Paris, where demonstrators have tried to disrupt the torch to protest against China's treatment of Tibetans during a recent crackdown.
In some places, protesters tried to snuff out the flame and organisers extinguished or hid the torch to keep it safe.
The images of pro-Tibet protesters attacking the torch have prompted an outpouring of anger among Chinese nationals and ethnic Chinese globally.
Australian police received tough powers to search torch relay protesters for weapons, as China supporters called for strong men to guard the flame against pro-Tibetans during its stopover in Canberra next week.
India, where the torch will head after Islamabad, has trimmed the route of its relay, fearing Tibetan protesters might try to disrupt it.
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan government-in-exile are based in northern India and the country has had dozens of anti-China protests since last month's riots in Tibet and other regions.
China has said it believes India will take effective steps to protect the torch. Tibetan leaders in India said they were preparing to protest in spite of heavy security.
Police detained at least 50 Tibetans for protesting in front of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.
In Australia, Zhang Rongan, of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said he hoped 10,000 students and Chinese Australians would travel to Canberra for the April 24 torch relay to guard against demonstrators.
Pro-Tibet demonstrators expect at least 1,000 people to travel to the capital in a bid to interrupt the torch's path past major national buildings, including the parliament.
Lawmakers in the Australian capital have already cut back the route of the relay and on Wednesday approved special powers for police to stop and search protesters for weapons, as well as paint-filled balloons, eggs and fire extinguishers.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this week ruled out a security role for Chinese paramilitary guards who have run beside the torch in blue tracksuits during clashes in Europe and the United States.
Zhang's website called for 150 "strong and energetic runners" to help guard the flame in Australia against Tibetan "splittists", although he hoped rival protest groups would be kept separate by police.
A student message referred to anti-China protesters as "ethnic degenerate scum or anti-Chinese running dogs".
A letter from Chinese authorities circulated to students in Australia asked protesters to "prevent all actions that can in any way be detrimental to the image of China".
The first modern Olympic torch relay was introduced for the 1936 Berlin Games and was the brainchild of Nazi-sponsored Olympic official Carl Diem.