At least six people were killed in violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel near the United States Consulate in Karachi on Sunday, following reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli operation.
The unrest erupted on Mai Kolachi Road, where demonstrators gathered to protest what Iranian state media described as a coordinated airstrike carried out by the United States and Israel in Tehran. As tensions escalated, confrontations broke out between protesters and security forces deployed to guard the consulate area.
Hospital sources and rescue officials confirmed multiple fatalities. At least six bodies were transported to Civil Hospital Karachi, where Police Surgeon Dr. Sumaiya Syed verified the deaths. Several injured individuals were also taken to nearby medical facilities by the Edhi ambulance service.
To bring the situation under control, law enforcement agencies used tear gas and carried out baton charges to disperse the crowd. Authorities sealed off both sides of Mai Kolachi Road, while traffic police diverted vehicles from the Sultanabad Traffic Section to alternative routes, including Jinnah Bridge, I.I. Chundrigar Road, and the Boat Basin area.
Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Sindh’s Home Minister, sought an immediate report from Karachi’s Additional Inspector General of Police and directed officials to enhance security around sensitive installations. In a statement, he warned that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands and pledged strict action against those responsible for disrupting public order.
The protests come amid rising regional tensions after Iranian state media reported Khamenei’s death in the alleged joint strike — a development that has sparked demonstrations in several countries across the Muslim world.
