Protesters took to the streets across Pakistan on Sunday, clashing violently with police and paramilitary forces after the US and Israel killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At least 10 people were killed and more than 50 were injured in Karachi alone, officials said.
In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, Shiite demonstrators threw stones at law enforcement and smashed consulate windows while attempting to storm the Consulate. Senior police official Irfan Baloch said protesters briefly reached the consulate perimeter before being dispersed. He added that a nearby police post was set on fire, but no part of the consulate itself was damaged, reports the Associated Press.
Witnesses reported that dozens of protesters remained about a half-mile from the consulate, urging others to join them. “One protester tried to burn a window,” said a local witness, “but security forces got there and broke up the crowd.”
Police surgeon Summaiya Syed Tariq confirmed six bodies and multiple wounded were brought to the city’s main hospital. Four critically injured patients later died, bringing the total fatalities in Karachi to 10. Many of the wounded remained in serious condition.
The unrest wasn’t confined to Karachi. In the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, thousands of Shiites attacked offices of the UN Military Observer Group and the UN Development Programme, government spokesman Shabir Mir said. Two protesters were killed and several offices, including a charity and police stations, were damaged before troops regained control.
Authorities also clashed with demonstrators in Islamabad and Peshawar. Police used tear gas and batons to stop hundreds of protesters marching toward the US Embassy in Islamabad’s Diplomatic Enclave, while in Peshawar similar tactics dispersed thousands outside the consulate. Shiite rallies were reported in Multan and Lahore, though some remained peaceful.
Mamoona Sherazi, attending a rally in Multan, said she was protesting Khamenei’s killing, calling him “a fatherly figure and a strong voice for Shiites” who also supported oppressed Sunni Muslims. “God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel,” she said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi appealed for calm, calling Sunday a “day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah” and urging citizens not to take the law into their own hands. The provincial government of Sindh echoed the call, warning against violence.
The US Embassy in Pakistan said it was monitoring protests at consulates in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and the embassy in Islamabad, advising Americans to stay alert, avoid crowds, and keep travel registrations up to date.
Shiites make up about 15 percent of Pakistan’s population of roughly 250 million, representing one of the largest Shiite communities in the world.
In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, Shiite demonstrators threw stones at law enforcement and smashed consulate windows while attempting to storm the Consulate. Senior police official Irfan Baloch said protesters briefly reached the consulate perimeter before being dispersed. He added that a nearby police post was set on fire, but no part of the consulate itself was damaged, reports the Associated Press.
Witnesses reported that dozens of protesters remained about a half-mile from the consulate, urging others to join them. “One protester tried to burn a window,” said a local witness, “but security forces got there and broke up the crowd.”
Police surgeon Summaiya Syed Tariq confirmed six bodies and multiple wounded were brought to the city’s main hospital. Four critically injured patients later died, bringing the total fatalities in Karachi to 10. Many of the wounded remained in serious condition.
The unrest wasn’t confined to Karachi. In the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, thousands of Shiites attacked offices of the UN Military Observer Group and the UN Development Programme, government spokesman Shabir Mir said. Two protesters were killed and several offices, including a charity and police stations, were damaged before troops regained control.
Authorities also clashed with demonstrators in Islamabad and Peshawar. Police used tear gas and batons to stop hundreds of protesters marching toward the US Embassy in Islamabad’s Diplomatic Enclave, while in Peshawar similar tactics dispersed thousands outside the consulate. Shiite rallies were reported in Multan and Lahore, though some remained peaceful.
Mamoona Sherazi, attending a rally in Multan, said she was protesting Khamenei’s killing, calling him “a fatherly figure and a strong voice for Shiites” who also supported oppressed Sunni Muslims. “God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel,” she said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi appealed for calm, calling Sunday a “day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah” and urging citizens not to take the law into their own hands. The provincial government of Sindh echoed the call, warning against violence.
The US Embassy in Pakistan said it was monitoring protests at consulates in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and the embassy in Islamabad, advising Americans to stay alert, avoid crowds, and keep travel registrations up to date.
Shiites make up about 15 percent of Pakistan’s population of roughly 250 million, representing one of the largest Shiite communities in the world.
