Pakistani authorities deployed troops and imposed a three-day curfew before dawn on Monday in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu after several people died and tens were injured in violent protests following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, officials said.
The government also banned large gatherings nationwide aft protests against US and Israeli strikes on Iran spread, with 26 dead so far.
Shiite community leaders have called for more protests in the central city of Lahore and in Karachi despite the nationwide government ban on congregations and public gatherings."
People were martyred, there were riots," Karachi resident Dodo Chandio said. "Roads are blocked for the second day in Karachi, people are distressed."
Thousands of Shiite demonstrators attacked on Sunday the offices of the UN Military Observer Group, which monitors the ceasefire along the Himalayan region of Kashmir, and the UN Development Programme in Skardu city.
Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials. At least 14 people were killed and 80 others injured, police in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday said protesters became violent near the UNMOGIP Field Station, which was vandalised. "The safety and security of UN personnel and premises throughout the region remain our top priority, and we continue to closely monitor the situation,” Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, Shabir Mir, a Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesman, said on Monday the situation was under control and that the curfew would remain in place until Wednesday. Police chief Akbar Nasir Khan urged residents to stay indoors, citing "deteriorating law and order conditions.”
Demonstrators in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi stormed the US Consulate on Sunday, smashing windows and attempting to burn the building. Police responded with batons, tear gas, and gunfire, leaving 10 people dead and more than 50 injured. Two persons were also killed in clashes in Islamabad during an attempted Shiite march toward the US embassy.
The US embassy and its consulates in Karachi and Lahore canceled visa appointments and American Citizen Services on Monday, citing security concerns. Pakistani authorities have beefed up security at US diplomatic missions across the country, including around the US consulate building in Peshawar, to avoid any further violence.
Also on Monday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange plunged, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index falling nearly 10% amid rising geopolitical tensions following attacks on Iran. Investors sold off shares across sectors, with analysts citing heightened uncertainty as the main driver behind the sharp decline.
Anger has been rising in Pakistan, particularly among members of the Shiite minority, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Khamenei and other senior officials. While Shiites are a minority nationwide, they form a majority in some northern districts and in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan.
Sunday’s unrest came amid ongoing cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which began Thursday after Afghanistan launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Pakistan has since carried out repeated operations along the border.
Associated Press