KARACHI: At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday after violent clashes erupted between police and protesters on MT Khan Road as crowds marched toward the US Consulate in Karachi. The protests followed the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli air strike.

The Edhi Welfare Organisation’s information wing confirmed that nine people were initially killed and several others injured near Mai Kolachi Road amid firing and unrest. All victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi’s Trauma Centre. Hospital authorities said 32 injured individuals were brought in for treatment, while the identification of the deceased was underway. One injured person later succumbed to wounds, raising the death toll to 10.

Those killed include 23-year-old Kazim, 26-year-old Mubarak, 25-year-old Adil, 25-year-old Abbas, 20-year-old Khawar Abbas, 28-year-old Sajid Ali, and 23-year-old Muhammad Ali.

According to an official statement from the Sindh government, demonstrators breached the external security perimeter of the US Consulate, entered the premises, and caused damage.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a video message, said Sunday was “a day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah, as well as for the people of Iran and Pakistan.” He said every Pakistani citizen shared the grief of the Iranian people and urged protesters not to take the law into their own hands, calling for peaceful demonstrations.

The US Embassy in Islamabad said it was monitoring demonstrations at US consulates in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for protests in Islamabad and Peshawar. It advised US citizens in Pakistan to follow local news, remain alert, avoid large crowds, and ensure their STEP (Smart Traveller Enrollment Programme) registration was up to date.

Religious leader Allama Syed Shahenshah Hussain Naqvi also appealed for calm in a video message, saying the Muslim Ummah was mourning the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Commander. He urged the public to remain peaceful, warning that Pakistan was already facing internal and external security challenges. He described the protests outside the US Consulate in Karachi as distressing.

In response to the violence, the Sindh government formed a high-level Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to conduct an impartial inquiry into the incident. The government reiterated that while peaceful protest is a constitutional right, vandalism, violence, and taking the law into one’s own hands are unacceptable.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar sought immediate details from the Additional Inspector General of Karachi, ordered enhanced security at sensitive installations, and called for alternative traffic routes to be arranged. He said law enforcement agencies were fully alert and monitoring the situation closely, warning that strict action would be taken against anyone disrupting law and order.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow over the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei and said the people of Sindh stood in solidarity with Iran during this time of grief. Commenting on the Karachi incident, he termed the violence “extremely regrettable” and ordered impartial investigations. He stressed that at a time when the country faced a war-like situation, undermining law and order was unacceptable.

Police said tear gas was fired to disperse protesters, who responded with stone-throwing. A traffic police post in Sultanabad was set on fire, while heavy police contingents remained deployed on MT Khan Road. Traffic routes leading to Numaish Chowrangi were closed, and alternative routes were provided.

Protests were also reported in Islamabad and Lahore. In Islamabad, Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan announced a protest and plans to encircle the US Embassy, prompting authorities to seal the Red Zone, deploy additional forces, and enforce Section 144, banning all gatherings. In Lahore, protesters staged a sit-in outside the Press Club after Zuhr prayers, raising anti-US slogans as security around the US Consulate was tightened.

Pakistani authorities across the country remain on high alert as tensions persist.