KARACHI (HRNW): A massive protest outside the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi turned deadly today as demonstrators and security forces engaged in violent confrontations following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to medical officials at Jinnah and Civil Hospitals, at least ten people have been killed and over 30 others injured, including several police officers, as the situation escalated into a full-scale riot. The violence erupted when hundreds of protesters attempted to breach the high-security perimeter of the consulate on Mai Kolachi Road, prompting law enforcement to respond with heavy tear gas shelling, baton charges, and reportedly live ammunition to push back the charging crowd. Several vehicles and a nearby police picket were set on fire by enraged protesters, while limited damage to the consulate’s exterior windows was reported before additional contingents of Rangers and elite police units secured the building’s interior. The Sindh government has declared a high alert across the city, sealing off all roads leading to the Red Zone and initiating a judicial inquiry into the deaths. This incident in Karachi mirrors a wave of unrest across Pakistan, including reports of an arson attack on a United Nations office in Skardu and fortified blockades in Islamabad’s Diplomatic Enclave, as the nation reacts to the escalating regional crisis.
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