KARACHI, Pakistan — The port city of Karachi was engulfed in violence on Sunday as protesters clashed with security forces, leaving at least 10 people dead and more than 50 injured, according to local authorities. The unrest erupted as pro-Iran demonstrators attempted to breach the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate.
Simultaneously, in the northern regions of Pakistan, protesters targeted both U.N. and government facilities, escalating the tension across the country.
The turmoil was triggered by recent attacks from the United States and Israel on Iran, resulting in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Officials at a Karachi hospital reported that at least 25 individuals sustained injuries during the clashes, with several in critical condition.
In response, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his deep sorrow over the death of Khamenei, extending condolences to Iran. “Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss,” Zardari stated through his office.
Dr. Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at Karachi’s primary government hospital, confirmed that six deceased and numerous injured were admitted. The death toll later increased to 10 as four critically injured individuals succumbed to their wounds.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, a northern region of Pakistan, thousands of Shiite protesters, enraged by the U.S. and Israeli actions, attacked the offices of the U.N. Military Observer Group and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP). Government spokesman Shabir Mir assured that all U.N. staff members were safe amidst the chaos.
Mir said protesters repeatedly clashed with police at various places in the region, damaged the offices of a local charity, and set fire to police offices. However, he said authorities had deployed troops and brought the situation under control.
Police in Gilgit-Baltistan said at least two protesters were killed in the clashes.
The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a post on X that it was monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Peshawar.
It advised U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news, stay aware of their surroundings, avoid large crowds and keep their travel registration with the U.S. government up to date.
Consulate windows smashed
In Karachi, which is the capital of southern Sindh province and Pakistan’s largest city, senior police official Irfan Baloch said that protesters briefly attacked the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate, but were later dispersed.
He dismissed as baseless reports that any part of the consulate building was set on fire. However, he said that protesters torched a nearby police post and smashed windows of the consulate before security forces arrived and regained control.
Witnesses said that dozens of Shiite protesters remained gathered about a kilometer (half-mile) from the consulate, urging others to join them. They said one of the protesters had tried to burn a window of the consulate, before security forces arrived there and dispersed the demonstrators.
Appeal for calm
The clashes prompted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to issue an appeal for calm.
“Following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, every citizen of Pakistan shares in the grief of the people of Iran,” Naqvi said in a statement.
He described it as “a day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah and for the people of both Iran and Pakistan,” but urged people not to take the law into their own hands and to express their protests peacefully.
The provincial government of Sindh in a statement also urged citizens to express their views peacefully and warned against engaging in violence.
Protests in the area surrounding the U.S. Consulate in Karachi went on for hours, with dozens of Shiite youth, some covering their faces, throwing stones at law enforcement officials and vowing to reach the consulate, where hundreds of police and paramilitary Rangers have been deployed.
Security raised at US embassy and consulates
In Islamabad, police fired tear gas and swung batons as hundreds of Shiite protesters, angered by the killing of Khamenei, tried to march toward the U.S. Embassy. The clashes took place outside the Diplomatic Enclave, where the embassy is located and additional police had been deployed.
Meanwhile, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, authorities also used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of demonstrators attempting to approach the U.S. Consulate to hold a rally to denounce the killing of the Iranian leader, police said.
Shiites also held a peaceful rally in Multan, a city in Punjab province, chanting slogans against Israel and the United States.
Mamoona Sherazi, who attended the rally, said that she was protesting Khamenei’s killing. She described him as a fatherly figure and a strong voice for Shiites, adding that he also supported Sunni Muslims facing oppression. “God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel,” she said.
Shiites also held a rally and clashes with police repeatedly near the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, police said. Rallies against Israel and the United States were also planned in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Authorities said that the government has stepped up security around the U.S. Embassy in the capital, and consulates across the country to avoid any further violence.
Shiites make up roughly 15% of Pakistan’s population of about 250 million and represent one of the largest Shiite communities in the world. They have frequently staged anti-Israel and anti-U. S. rallies in the past, though clashes of this scale are rare.
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Munir Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Babar Dogar in Lahore, and Asim Tanveer in Multan, contributed to this story.
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