Pakistani Shiites rally to condemn US-Israel attacks on Iran as US embassy issues security alert

Islamabad — Hundreds of minority Shiites rallied in Pakistan’s capital and elsewhere in the country on Friday to condemn the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike, as the US embassy in Islamabad issued a security alert warning of possible violence.

Amid a heavy police presence, around 300 protesters staged a sit-in in Islamabad, holding posters of Khamenei and chanting “Death to America” ​​and “Death to Israel”. Islamabad police had stopped shipping containers on roads leading to the US embassy in Islamabad to prevent any potential escalation.

Pakistani officials said protesters had agreed not to march to the embassy in Islamabad, about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the sit-in. The protesters plan to end their sit-in later Friday.

Khamenei, who has ruled Iran since 1989, is a central religious and political figure for Shiites around the world, including in Pakistan. His death last week in a joint US-Israeli operation at the start of the war sparked outrage among many Shiites.

Security was also heightened in the port city of Karachi, where hundreds of Shiites stormed the US consulate on Sunday, breaking windows and trying to set the building on fire. Police resorted to lathi charge, tear gas and live firing to disperse the crowd. The violence left 10 protesters dead in Karachi and at least 13 others in northern cities including Skardu and Gilgit.

In Karachi, Shiite protesters gathered about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the consulate on Friday.

Separately, smaller groups of Sunni protesters also rallied in Islamabad and Karachi on Friday against the US-Israeli war with Iran. The protests took place far from US diplomatic missions. No violence was reported.

In a security alert ahead of the demonstrations, the US Embassy in Islamabad urged Americans in the country to limit their movement outside. Also, the updated advisory warned US citizens not to travel to the disputed Himalayan regions of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir due to risks of “terrorism and kidnapping.”

Shias make up approximately 15% of Pakistan’s population of about 250 million, the majority of whom are Sunni Muslims.