At least 23 dead in Pakistan protests over killing of Khamenei

At least 23 people died and over 100 others were injured across Pakistan on Sunday as protesters, outraged over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took to the streets, with some attempting to storm U.S. diplomatic buildings.

The protesters died in Sunday's clashes include 10 in the port of Karachi, where security guards at the U.S. consulate fired on demonstrators who breached the outer wall. Eleven were in the northern city of Skardu where the crowd torched a UN office, and two in Islamabad, according to a Reuters report.

In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters tried to enter the U.S. consulate, prompting clashes with police.

Protesters chanted "Death to America! Death to Israel!" at the consulate, ‌where 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.

Karachi's Civil Hospital said all those killed and injured were hit with gunshots.

The U.S. Embassy in ‌Islamabad said in a post on X it was monitoring reports of demonstrations and advised U.S. citizens to observe good personal security practices.

Skardu, where the UN building was set ablaze, is in Gilgit Baltistan in the north, Pakistan's only province where Shiites are the plurality.

"A large number of protesters have gathered outside the UN office and burned down the building," local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir said.

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 capital Islamabad, around 4,000 people took to the streets. 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.

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.

As Iran's neighbor, Pakistan is home to a significant Shiite Muslim population, estimated at around 20–30 million people, making it one of the largest in the world after Iran and Iraq.

Israel and the United States launched their mass aerial campaign on Iran early Saturday, quickly killing the long-ruling supreme leader and prompting outrage in neighboring Pakistan.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday evening that the killing of Khamenei was a "violation" of international law.

"It is an age old convention that the Heads of State/Government should not be targeted," Sharif wrote on X.

The "people of Pakistan join the people of Iran in their hour of grief and sorrow and extend the most sincere condolences on the martyrdom" of Khamenei, he added.

(With input from agencies)