KARACHI/LAHORE/GILGIT/ISLAMABAD: Nine people died in Karachi on Sunday, a hospital official said, after protesters clashed with law enforcement personnel near the US Consulate on Mai Kolachi Road, as protests erupted countrywide against the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The protests follow the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Saturday’s coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.
The situation warranted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to issue an appeal, urging people to remain peaceful.
“Today is a sorrowful day for the entire Muslim ummah, Pakistan’s public and Iran’s public,” he said in a video statement.
Stating that every Pakistani citizen was as aggrieved as Iranians, Naqvi said, “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.”
According to a statement by Edhi, law enforcement personnel resorted to teargas shelling and baton-charge to control the situation at the US Consulate in Karachi.
Dr Mohammad Sabir Memon, the executive director of Civil Hospital Karachi’s (CHK) SMBB Institute of Trauma, told media that 9 had died and 34 were injured in the wake of protests near the consulate.
Dr Memon revised the death toll from 10 to nine, explaining that one deceased person was counted twice in the earlier figures.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed also confirmed to media that nine people died as a result of the incident.
According to a list of casualties brought to CHK, the wounds to 34 injured and all the deceased resulted from “gunshots”.
Dr Syed said seven injured persons were each shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Fatimid Foundation, while the remaining were at CHK’s trauma centre.
In its statement, the US Embassy in Islamabad said: “We are monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional demonstrations at US Embassy Islamabad and Consulate General Peshawar.
“We advise US citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news and observe good personal security practices, including being aware of your surroundings, avoiding large crowds, and ensuring your STEP (Smart Traveller Enrollment Programme) registration is up to date.”
Speaking to media earlier, Dr Syed said two injured policemen were among those brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment.
The two policemen were injured by “hard and blunt instruments”, while “two protesters with firearm injuries” were also brought to JPMC, the police surgeon told media.
Emotional scenes were witnessed outside the CHK’s mortuary, where bodies were brought for legal formalities.
Sindh govt expresses grief, forms JIT
In an official statement, shared by the information minister’s spokesperson Husain Mansoor, the Sindh government expressed “deep grief” over the loss of lives in the clash.
“The protesters entered after breaching the security cordon of the US Consulate and committed vandalism,” the statement said.
However, the government put the number of deaths at six, adding that “several” were injured.
It formed a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) to “impartially review all aspects of the incident”. The JIT will “assess the circumstances under which the incident occurred and what its causes were”.
The JIT will also determine “who was responsible” for the incident.
While the government affirmed the public’s constitutional right to protest, it stressed that “maintaining a peaceful environment was everyone’s shared responsibility”.
“Any kind of vandalism, violence or taking the law into your own hands is inappropriate,” it noted.
The government requested citizens to “express their emotions only in peaceful and legal ways”.
Citizens are urged to express their feelings only in peaceful and legal ways.
“The government wants to keep the situation under control,” the statement said, adding that while citizens had the right to peacefully protest, no one should take the law into their hands.
CM orders ‘impartial probe’
In his statement, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah termed the incident “extremely tragic” and expressed his deep grief over Khamenei’s death.
“In this hour of grief, the people of Sindh stand in equal solidarity with Iran and all those who are mourning,” he said.
He directed that an impartial investigation be conducted into the US Consulate incident.
“At a time when the country is facing a war-like situation, it is inappropriate to sabotage peace and order,” CM Murad said.
He contacted various religious leaders, including Allama Shahenshah Naqvi, Allama Shabbir Maisami, and others, to urge them to ensure that public sentiments were controlled at all costs.
Allama Naqvi and others spoke about holding a majlis (gathering) at Numaish, the CM Office statement said, adding that Murad directed the administration and the police to provide full security for it.
CM Murad appealed to all religious scholars and people of different schools of thought to guide the public toward maintaining peace and order.
Expressing his deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the US Consulate incident, he said the government cannot allow anyone to take the law into their own hands.
In a video statement, Allama Naqvi termed the consulate clashes “painful” and urged the public to remain peaceful.
He noted that the Muslim community was saddened over Khamenei’s “martyrdom”, adding that people should voice their grief “keeping in mind the sorrow of Karbala”.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar sought immediate details about the situation from Karachi Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Azad Khan, a statement from his office said.
“No one will be allowed to take the law into their hands,” Lanjar was quoted as saying. He ordered that the security of sensitive installations be made more effective.
The minister further directed that alternative routes be determined to maintain the flow of traffic and that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) remain fully alert and monitor the situation closely.
“Action will be taken in accordance with the law against elements disturbing law and order,” Lanjar warned.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Rangers said it had deployed “heavy contingents of mobile vigilance teams” across the city in view of the prevailing security situation.
Earlier in the day, Keamari Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amjad Ahmed Shaikh gathered police contingents to strengthen security at sensitive locations.
In an update issued at around 11am, Karachi Traffic Police said both sides of the road from Sultanabad Traffic Section towards Mai Kolachi were closed for traffic due to a protest.
Providing alternative routes, it said traffic from Jinnah Bridge was being sent towards I.I. Chundrigar Road, vehicles coming from Boat Basin were being U-turned from Mai Kolachi Phatak and sent back, and those coming from PIDC were being sent back from Park Cut.
The traffic police urged the public to call Traffic Helpline 1915 for alternative routes to avoid inconvenience. “Traffic police are present and managing the flow of traffic,” it added.
Protesters gather outside US Consulate in Lahore
Meanwhile, hundreds of activists from Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) assembled outside the US Consulate in Lahore at around 11am and attempted to force their way into the building, catching the police off guard.
However, a few policemen on routine duty around the consulate managed to push back the activists protesting the US-Israel attacks on Iran.
Some protesters told media that one of their colleagues scaled the consulate’s boundary wall and was detained by security guards. By that time, police reinforcements had arrived, and a police inspector negotiated with consulate security to secure the protester’s release.
The protesters, including a large number of women, were carrying portraits of Khamenei and raising slogans against the US and Israel.
The MWM had scheduled the protest for 3pm, but its activists gathered at the venue much earlier.
Police cordoned off the area as activists of Tehreek-i-Bedari Ummat-i-Mustafa marched from the Punjab Assembly to join the demonstration at the consulate.
Curfew in Skardu after protests in GB
Separately, as demonstrations intensified across Gilgit-Baltistan after Khamenei’s assassination, curfew was imposed in the Skardu district.
Protesters set the offices in Gilgit and Skardu of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) on fire.
They also set a school, the office of the superintendent of police, and the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) office on fire during the protest.
The GB police issued a statement saying that a curfew has been imposed in Skardu.
The statement said that the Pakistan Army had been called in under Section 245 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), noting that UNMOGIP offices in Skardu and Gilgit were torched.
It said that no casualties were reported due to “timely intervention” by the police and administration.
According to the police, all foreign tourists in GB have been shifted to safe places.
Police requested the public to remain peaceful, saying, “It is everyone’s shared responsibility to thwart attempts to damage national property.”
Protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at multiple locations in Hunza, Nagar and Gilgit, holding pictures of Khamenei and chanting anti-American and anti-Israel slogans. They also staged a sit-in at Siachen Road in Kharmang.
Roads in Shigar and Ghanche also remained blocked, while the Baltistan Road has been blocked in Roundu and other areas. Inter-district roads also remained blocked.
Shops, markets, business markets and commercial activities remained suspended in Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Nagar, Shigar, Kharmang, Astore, and Ghanche, a media correspondent reported.
Section 144 imposed in Islamabad
Meanwhile, gatherings of all kinds were banned in Islamabad under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
According to the district administration, all kinds of gatherings and assemblies would be considered unlawful under Section 144. It urged residents not to take part in any such gathering.
“Strict legal action will be taken in the case of any protest, demonstration or gathering,” the administration warned.
In an advisory, the Islamabad police said all routes leading to the Red Zone, which houses important government buildings, were also closed.
Interior Minister Naqvi visited various areas of Islamabad and reviewed the law and order situation in the Red Zone, Diplomatic Enclave, and other areas.
He inspected security arrangements and issued orders to ensure foolproof arrangements in the Diplomatic Enclave.
While noting that peaceful protest was everyone’s right, the minister said, “Mischief under the guise of protest cannot be allowed under any circumstances.”
He ordered that security arrangements must be complete and comprehensive in every respect, adding, “The law will take its course against disruption of daily life routines.”
Islamabad IG Ali Nasir Rizvi briefed Naqvi on the law and order situation. Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, the deputy commissioner and other officials were also present on the occasion.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
Additional input by Irfan Raza, Kalbe Ali
American Dollar Exchange Rate