At least 12 people were killed—10 in Karachi and two in Islamabad—on Sunday during protests that erupted nationwide over the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in airstrikes conducted by the United States and Israel.
“Today is a sorrowful day for the entire Muslim Ummah, Pakistan’s public and Iran’s public,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a video statement, as he urged people to exercise calm and patience. “My only request is that we all stand with you, but please do not take the law into your hands. You may protest but peacefully,” he added.
The day’s clashes commenced in Karachi, with demonstrators facing off against law enforcement personnel outside the U.S. Consulate, which some of them tried to break into. In a bid to control the crowd, law enforcers resorted to teargas shelling and baton-charges. Later in the day, the provincial government imposed Section 144, barring all kinds of wall chalking, protests, demonstrations, sit-ins, rallies, and display of arms throughout the province for one month, effective from March 1.
In a statement, police said eight bodies were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi, while two of the injured succumbed to their injuries, raising the total death toll to 10. Overall injuries in the clashes were reported at 73 in multiple clashes, with six reportedly in critical condition.
The Sindh government has expressed “deep grief” over the deaths, stressing that the protesters had breached the security cordon of the U.S. Consulate and vandalized the premises. It has announced the formation of a joint investigation team to review all aspects of the incident and identify the culprits responsible. It urged citizens to “express their emotions only in peaceful and legal ways.”
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, per the statement, has reached out to various religious leaders and called on them to ensure public sentiments are not unnecessarily inflamed.
Islamabad protests
In the federal capital, clashes between police and protesters near the Diplomatic Enclave resulted in the deaths of at least two demonstrators and injured 30 others, including police and Rangers personnel. Shortly before the protest on Sunday afternoon, the district administration had banned all kinds of gatherings under Section 144.
Attempting to prevent the demonstrators’ entry into the high-security Enclave, police resorted to tear-gas shelling, eventually succeeding in pushing the protesters back out of the Red Zone. Similarly, a separate bid by thousands of protesters to march toward the U.S. Embassy was stopped by law enforcers through shelling, resulting in several injuries.
According to local media, protesters targeted the media during the demonstrations, breaking cameras and phones. Amid the rising tensions, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir reached the venue and addressed the crowds and urged them to exercise restraint.
Lahore demonstration
The Punjab capital saw hundreds gather outside the Lahore Press Club, which is situated right next to the U.S. Consulate, to protest the killing of the Ayatollah. The demonstrators, most of them affiliated with the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), attempted to force their way into the U.S. Consulate, but were repulsed by police.
The area was subsequently cordoned off, with the Punjab government imposing Section 144 for the next week. While shelling took place, no deaths were reported.
Curfew in Skardu
Also on Sunday, protestors in Gilgit-Baltistan turned violent, with offices of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, a school, a police building, and an office of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program set ablaze. In a statement, police said a curfew was imposed in Skardu, with the Army called in to support police efforts.
Police urged the public the remain peaceful and not damage public or private buildings.
Many parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa saw rallies and protests in solidarity with Iran, with some of the demonstrations turning into sit-ins.
There was also a demonstration in Balochistan capital Quetta, with protesters clashing with law enforcers and being dispersed with tear-gas shelling.