Deadly Violence Erupts in Pakistan Protests... At Least 23 Killed [US Strikes on Iran]

In Pakistan, the number of deaths has risen to at least 23 as protesters opposing the US and Israel's airstrikes against Iran and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attacked the US consulate, UN offices, and other locations.

On the 1st (local time), at the funeral of protesters who died after police fired shots during an attack on the US Consulate in Karachi, southern Pakistan, a crowd mourned around the coffins of the deceased. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to Reuters on the 2nd (local time), government and intelligence officials in Pakistan reported that on the previous day, thousands of pro-Iranian Muslim protesters stormed and set fire to United Nations offices, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan Province in northern Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of 11 people.

Shabbir Mir, a local government spokesperson, said, "A large group of protesters gathered outside the UN office and set the building on fire," adding, "Protesters clashed multiple times with police in various areas and set police stations on fire." Authorities subsequently deployed military forces to bring the situation under control, and all UN office staff are reported to be safe. Gilgit-Baltistan is the only region in Pakistan where the Shia population is the majority, similar to Iran.

On the previous day in Karachi, the largest city in southern Sindh Province, it was also reported that 10 protesters attempting to storm the local US consulate were shot and killed. Local government spokesperson Sukhdev Asardas Hemnani explained that consulate security personnel opened fire on protesters who breached the outer security perimeter.

In the capital Islamabad, thousands of angry protesters attempted to march to the US Embassy but were met with tear gas and live ammunition fired by police, resulting in 2 deaths and nearly 10 injuries. When clashes erupted on the outskirts of the diplomatic enclave where the US Embassy is located, police blocked all roads leading to the area and deployed additional forces.

In Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in the northwest, police dispersed thousands of protesters marching toward the US consulate using tear gas and batons. Near the US consulate in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province in the east, protesters held rallies and clashed several times with police.

The government of Pakistan announced that it had strengthened security around the US Embassy in Islamabad and US consulates nationwide to prevent further violence. Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan's Minister of Interior, issued a statement saying, "All people of Pakistan share in the grief of the Iranian people following the martyrdom of Khamenei," while also urging citizens to refrain from vigilante actions and to hold protests peacefully.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.