At least 22 killed in Pakistan amid attempts to storm US Consulate

The unrest was most intense in the southern port city of Karachi, where pro-Iran demonstrators attempted to storm the U.S. Consulate, leading to fierce clashes. Hospital officials reported that at least 50 people were wounded in Karachi alone, several of them critically. Authorities later confirmed that the death toll in the city rose to 10 after four critically injured individuals succumbed to their wounds.

In northern Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, thousands of protesters also took to the streets. According to local police official Asghar Ali, demonstrators attacked offices belonging to the U.N. Military Observer Group and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP). Twelve people were killed and more than 80 injured in confrontations with police. Protesters also reportedly set fire to police buildings and damaged a local charity’s offices.

Government spokesperson Shabir Mir said all U.N. personnel "were safe and that additional troops had been deployed to restore order." Authorities later stated that the situation had been brought under control.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed “profound sorrow over the martyrdom” of Ayatollah Khamenei and extended condolences to Iran. In a statement issued by his office, he said Pakistan “stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said it was closely monitoring demonstrations near U.S. diplomatic missions, including the consulates in Karachi and Lahore, as well as reported calls for protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the consulate in Peshawar.

Earlier, Qazinform reported the United Kingdom has authorized the United States to use British bases for a limited defensive purpose aimed at stopping Iranian missile attacks across the region, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday, stressing that Britain is not taking part in offensive strikes against Iran