10 killed as protests at US missions rock various Pak cities

Islamabad/Karachi/Lahore (PTI): At least 10 people were killed on Sunday after violent clashes and arson took place in different cities of Pakistan protesting the killing of Shiite supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

All 10 people were killed in firing in Karachi when protesters tried to storm the US Consulate in the port city.

Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed on Saturday in a coordinated US-Israeli airstrike on Tehran with his death confirmed on Sunday, prompting an outburst of anger by Pakistan's Shiites, who are about 20 per cent of the 240 million population.

The US Embassy in Islamabad said it is monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the US Consulate General in Karachi and Lahore even as Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi requested the citizens not to take the law into their hands and “record their protest peacefully.” Violent clashes occurred in the coastal city of Karachi in Sindh province where angry proctors tried to attack the US Consulate building on Mai Kolachi Road and security personnel tried to stop them.

Dr Mohammad Sabir Memon, the executive director of Civil Hospital Karachi’s (CHK) Trauma Centre, told Dawn that 10 had died and 31 were injured in the wake of protests near the Consulate.

Senior police official, SSP Asad Reza, said after the crowd started attacking the police, they used tear gas shells and rubber bullets to control the situation.

A large number of demonstrators had gathered around the Consulate, and police opened fire on them while they were attempting to break into the US Consulate.

Dr Sumaiya Syed, Police Surgeon, Sindh, said 10 bodies were brought to the Civil Hospital, and some appeared to have bullet wounds.

Syed said that around 30 injured persons are getting treatment at the hospital’s trauma centre. “The injured include four policemen,” she said.

Husain Mansoor, Spokesperson of the Sindh's Information Minister, 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,” he said in a statement.

Protests were also held in Lahore, Islamabad as well as in Gilgit and Skardu towns of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which has a sizable Shiite population.

The situation in GB turned serious when protesters set the offices of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) on fire in Gilgit and Skardu.

They also set ablaze a school, the office of the superintendent of police, and the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) office.

The authorities imposed curfew in the Skardu district while the GB police in a statement said that the Pakistan Army had been called in under Section 245 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Dawn said.

Protesters also blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at multiple locations, it added.

In Lahore, hundreds of people surrounded the US Consulate with some of them attempting to force their way into the consulate building as well.

However, a couple of them who reportedly managed to enter the building, were caught by the security of the consulate and later handed over to the police.

“A large number of activists of a Shia organisation-- Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) -- started gathering outside the US Consulate Lahore following the confirmation of assassination of Khamenei. Not many policemen were deployed at the US Consulate at that time,” a senior Punjab police official said.

Later, a heavy contingent of police was rushed to secure the place, he said.

The protesters chanted 'Death to America' slogans and many of them were seen crying over the death of Iran's supreme leader holding his portrait.

The area was cordoned off by the police and protestors were allowed to have “a peaceful demonstration”, however, the situation around the consulate remained very tense as the protesters did not leave despite senior police officers' request as at 7 pm local time.

In Islamabad, protestors were stopped from moving towards the US Embassy even as the city administration banned all public gatherings by imposing Section 144 in the capital.

“Strict legal action will be taken in the case of any protest, demonstration or gathering,” the administration warned.

The US Embassy, in a statement, said that it is 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,” it said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a media interaction that after the “martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei,” every citizen of Pakistan is saddened in the same way as the people of Iran are grieving.

“We are all with the people of Iran. (But) we request the citizens not to take the law into their hands and record their protest peacefully,” he said.

Separately, Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and briefed him about the law and order situation.

Meanwhile, in Sindh, the provincial government set up a high-level joint investigation team (JIT) to “impartially review all aspects of the incident” and also determine “who was responsible” for the incident.

The government also requested citizens to “express their emotions only in peaceful and legal ways.” Sindh Minister for Interior Ziaul Hasan Langar requested details from the Additional IG Karachi, stressing that “No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands.” Langar called for enhanced security at sensitive installations. “Law enforcement agencies are fully alert and monitoring the situation closely,” the minister said.

He said a judicial inquiry had been formed to ascertain the entire incident, but rebuked suggestions that those killed in Karachi protests were hit by US Marines guarding the Consulate.

“What we know is that protesters turned violent and tried to break through the security cordon around the consulate and clashed with the police, and some of them were very violent due to which police had to respond accordingly,” he said.