Protests erupt across Pakistan against US-Israel strikes on Iran
9 dead in violent clashes in Karachi; Section 144 imposed in Islamabad
KARACHI/ ISLAMABAD: Nine people died in Karachi on Sunday, a hospital official said, after protesters clashed with law enforcement personnel near the US Consulate on Mai Kolachi Road, as protests erupted countrywide against the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The protests follow the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Saturday’s coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.
According to a statement by the Edhi rescue service, law enforcement personnel resorted to teargas shelling and baton-charge to control the situation at the US Consulate in Karachi.
Dr Mohammad Sabir Memon, the executive director of Civil Hospital Karachi’s (CHK) SMBB Institute of Trauma, told the media that 9 had died and 34 were injured in the wake of protests near the consulate.
Dr Memon revised the death toll from 10 to nine, explaining that one deceased person was counted twice in the earlier figures.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed also confirmed that nine people died as a result of the incident.
According to a list of casualties brought to CHK, the wounds to 34 injured and all the deceased resulted from “gunshots”.
Dr Syed said seven injured persons were each shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Fatimid Foundation, while the remaining were at CHK’s trauma centre.
In its statement, the US Embassy in Islamabad said: “We are monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional demonstrations at US Embassy Islamabad and Consulate General Peshawar.
“We advise US citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news and observe good personal security practices, including being aware of your surroundings, avoiding large crowds, and ensuring your STEP (Smart Traveller Enrollment Programme) registration is up to date.”
Dr Syed said two injured policemen were among those brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment.
The two policemen were injured by “hard and blunt instruments”, while “two protesters with firearm injuries” were also brought to JPMC.
Emotional scenes were witnessed outside the CHK’s mortuary, where bodies were brought for legal formalities.
In view of the arising security situation, roads near the US Consulate were closed off to traffic.
Later in the day, when authorities tried to place containers to block the roads near the US Consulate, protesters pelted stones, leading to more clashes.
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In an official statement, shared by the information minister’s spokesperson Husain Mansoor, the Sindh government expressed “deep grief” over the loss of lives in the clash.
“The protesters entered after breaching the security cordon of the US Consulate and committed vandalism,” the statement said.
However, the government put the number of deaths at six, adding that “several” were injured.
At least two protesters died and over 30 were injured during clashes with law enforcement personnel near the Diplomatic Enclave, where people had gathered to protest the attacks on Iran.
The clashes came after the district administration had banned all kinds of gatherings under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Staff Report
