Islamabad/Karachi, Updated At : 07:33 AM Mar 02, 2026 IST
At least 23 people were killed Sunday in violent clashes and arson across Pakistani cities as protesters reacted to the killing of Iran’s Shiite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed Saturday in a coordinated US-Israeli airstrike on Tehran; his death was confirmed Sunday, triggering anger among Pakistan’s Shiites, roughly 20% of the country’s 240 million population.
Ten people died in Karachi, where security personnel at the US Consulate fired on demonstrators who breached the outer wall. Eleven were killed in Skardu after a crowd set fire to a UN office, and two were killed in Islamabad.
Witnesses said protesters at the Karachi consulate chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” as gunfire and tear gas rattled nearby streets. Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, a local government spokesman, said consulate security opened fire when the crowd pushed past the initial security perimeter; demonstrators also burned a vehicle outside the main gate and clashed with police. Hemnani said consulate staff were safe.
The US Embassy in Islamabad said it was monitoring demonstrations and advised US citizens to follow good security practices. Police reported 34 people injured; Karachi’s Civil Hospital said the dead and wounded had gunshot wounds. The Sindh government has ordered an inquiry.
Elsewhere, Iraqi police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters near Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located.
Pakistan and Iraq have the largest Shi’ite populations after Iran.
