Pakistan has deployed the military and imposed a three-day curfew in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu.
The move follows violent demonstrations over the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli attack. At least 25 people have been killed and dozens injured nationwide.
Thousands of Shia protesters attacked UN offices in Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan region on Sunday. In Gilgit city, demonstrators set fire to a police station and caused damage to a school, officials said.
Police reported at least 12 deaths and about 80 wounded in Gilgit-Baltistan.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Skardu’s UN Military Observer Group Field Station, which monitors the ceasefire in the disputed Kashmir region, was vandalized as violence spread nearby. “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.
Protests also erupted in the southern port city Karachi, where demonstrators stormed the US consulate on Sunday, smashing windows and attempting to set the building alight. Clashes with police left 10 people dead and more than 50 injured.
One person was killed in clashes in the capital, Islamabad. Thousands also demonstrated in Parachinar, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar, though those protests were reported to be peaceful.
Pakistan hosts the world’s second-largest Shia community after Iran. While Shias are a minority nationally, they form the majority in some northern areas including parts of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Authorities have tightened security around US diplomatic missions across the country. Roads to the Karachi consulate were blocked, and similar precautions were in place in Lahore and Islamabad. The US and UK embassies urged their citizens in Pakistan to exercise caution.
The unrest comes amid ongoing border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Violence escalated after Afghanistan launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous weekend.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
