On Sunday, protests against the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran descended into violence in Pakistan and Iraq, while Iranian exiles celebrated the passing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by taking to the streets in other parts of the world.
Violent Pro-Iran Protests In Pakistan’s Karachi Kill 23, Dozens Injured After Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Death As Demonstrators Attempt To Storm US Consulate And UN Office
At least 23 protestors were killed in skirmishes in Pakistan, including two in Islamabad, 11 in the northern city of Skardu where the crowd set fire to a UN office, and 10 in the port of Karachi when protesters broke through the outer wall and were shot at by security guards outside the US consulate. Tear gas and stun grenades were used by Iraqi police to disperse hundreds of pro Iranian demonstrators who had congregated outside the US embassy’s Green Zone diplomatic facility in Baghdad, the country’s capital. However, thousands more people flocked to Paris to celebrate, waving flags of Iran’s pre-revolutionary monarchy and carrying bottles of champagne and red roses.
Iran’s neighbours to the east and west, Pakistan and Iraq have the world’s largest Shi’ite Muslim populations after Iran, and were the scenes of some of the worst unrest from crowds angry at the US-Israeli attacks.
Protesters in Karachi chanted ‘Death to America! Death to Israel!’ at the consulate, where Reuters reporters heard gunfire and saw tear gas fired in surrounding streets. Consulate security staff opened fire at a crowd who were pushed back after breaching the outer security layer, said Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, a local government spokesman. The demonstrators also set a vehicle ablaze outside the main gate and clashed with police, he said.
‘We are in constant touch with consulate officials. They are all safe,’ Hemnani added.
The US Embassy in Islamabad said in a post on X it was monitoring reports of demonstrations and advised US citizens to observe good personal security practices. The consulate in Karachi and embassy in Islamabad did not respond to Reuters requests for further comment.
Thirty-four people were injured, police said. Karachi’s Civil Hospital said all those killed and injured were hit with gunshots. The provincial government of Sindh ordered an inquiry.
UN Building Was Set Ablaze
Skardu, where the UN building was set ablaze, is in Gilgit Baltistan in the north, Pakistan’s only province where Shi’ites are the plurality. ‘A large number of protesters have gathered outside the U.N. office and burned down the building,’ local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir told Reuters. The figure of 11 killed was provided by a government official and an intelligence official, both on condition of anonymity. Protesters also took to the streets in other parts of Pakistan, carrying black flags and chanting ‘Down with America!’ and anti-Israel slogans. In the central city of Lahore, police said hundreds gathered outside the U.S. consulate. There were some small-scale clashes with police, who fired tear gas.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi urged protesters to remain peaceful. ‘We stand with you,’ he said, adding that every Pakistani was as grief-stricken as the people of Iran. In the capital Islamabad, all roads leading to the Red Zone, which houses diplomatic missions were blocked to traffic, police said. Police fired tear gas and live bullets when thousands of protesters tried to march toward the diplomatic enclave, killing two and injuring nearly 10, two officials said on condition of anonymity.
Elsewhere, protests took place in countries where Iran has influence. In Kano, a part of Nigeria with a sizable Shi’ite Muslim minority, thousands marched peacefully, waving Iranian flags and pictures of Khamenei. However, many came out to celebrate in Western nations and other places where there are sizable populations of Iranian exiles. Some members of the Paris throng put up photos of loved ones who had been killed throughout decades of Iranian clerical tyranny. Others waved the American, French, and Israeli flags. Iranians living in exile gathered outside the Iranian embassy in Lisbon.Last night, we held a party until three in the morning. We chanted, danced, and sang nonstop, and it was just incredible,” 57-year-old Maximilien Jazani recounted. Persians “want to go to vote and to choose the kind of government they want” .
(With Inputs From Reuters)
