Violent protests erupted in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday as demonstrators clashed with police while attempting to march towards the US Consulate. The unrest followed the death of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
The protest, organized by Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), saw a rally of around 3,000 people and participation from multiple political-religious groups. Demonstrations against Nasrallah’s killing spread across various regions of Pakistan, including Karachi, where the protests turned particularly volatile.
In an effort to control the crowd, officers resorted to lathi charges, tear gas shelling, and aerial firing. During the chaos, two police vehicles were damaged, and a motorcycle was set ablaze by the protesters. The Station House Officer (SHO) of Mach, who was critically injured by stone-pelting, was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Protesters chanted “Death to America,” while carrying posters of Nasrallah.
Sindh Interior Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Linjar called for increased security measures to protect civilians and journalists. He emphasized the need for additional police deployment to restore order in the city.
The protests were triggered by an Israeli strike on Beirut on Friday, which resulted in the death of Nasrallah, a key Hezbollah leader. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran’s Ayatollah regime, stating that those targeting Israel would face severe consequences and that “no location” in Iran or the Middle East is “beyond Israel’s reach.”
Netanyahu referred to Nasrallah as “the main engine of Iran’s axis of evil,” asserting that Nasrallah was not just another terrorist, but the architect behind Iran’s plans to destroy Israel.