Islamabad, Mar 1: Hours after confirmation of the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hundreds of angry Pakistanis stormed the US Consulate in Karachi to protest the American action and indulged in vandalism and arson there.
Several of them were killed and wounded when the Karachi police and other security personnel opened fire to disperse the mob.
The actual figure was not immediately available as the situation is still unfolding and protests are continuing.
The action by the authorities came late as the protesters had already vandalised the premises and attempted to set it ablaze.
The protesters were chanting slogans against Israel and America and calling for revenge for the assassination of Khamenei, who was killed in air strikes in Tehran yesterday.
Khamenei’s killing was confirmed only this morning after persistent denial by the Iranian authorities despite Israel claiming yesterday that the 86-year-old Shia Muslim leader was dead.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran with a fist hand since 1989 enforcing strict Islamic laws in the Persian country, had throughout maintained a strong position against the West.
The US and Israel, particularly, would describe him as a “terrorist” and had been planning his ouster for decades. (NVI)
