Protests erupted across Pakistan on Sunday after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, triggering violent clashes, arson attacks and anti-US demonstrations in several Shia-majority regions. At least 21 people have died so far as demonstrations in several cities turned deadly, a Reuters report mentioned.
Violence was reported near the US Consulate in Karachi and Lahore, where hundreds of protesters gathered and vandalised property and set parts of the premises on fire, according to footage and media reports. In the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, protesters also set fire to a United Nations office in Skardu and damaged nearby buildings. Authorities across Pakistan tightened security around diplomatic sites and sensitive zones as tensions from the Iran war spilled into the country.
Here are the top developments in escalating protests in Pakistan:
-
Several protesters were killed and over 60 injured after demonstrators breached and vandalised parts of the US Consulate compound in Karachi, triggering clashes and firing.
-
In Skardu, protesters torched a United Nations office building, with fires damaging parts of the complex and nearby public and institutional facilities in the Shia-majority Gilgit-Baltistan region, reported local media.
-
Demonstrations spread to Lahore, Peshawar and other cities, where crowds gathered outside US diplomatic sites, offered prayers and raised slogans condemning Washington and Tel Aviv over Khamenei’s killing.
-
The US Embassy in Islamabad issued a security alert, advising American citizens to avoid crowds and monitor local news as protests were reported near consulates in Karachi and Lahore.
-
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government and people of Pakistan stand with Iran in grief over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, offering condolences. In a post on X following violent unrest across the nation, he also voiced concern over attacks on US consulates and UN office, calling it a violation of international law.
-
A heavy contingent of police personnel was deployed across Karachi’s Red Zone and diplomatic enclave after protesters stormed the US Consulate, clashed with police and set fires outside the compound, with roads leading to key government and diplomatic sites sealed. In some areas, police fired tear gas shells at the protesters.
-
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Russia, scheduled for March 3–5, has been postponed due to the “current regional situation”, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Sunday. New dates will be decided later. Russia also called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to stop cross-border attacks and resolve tensions through dialogue. The postponement comes amid regional instability, including unrest in Pakistan following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
With inputs from agencies
