Court approves release against surety bonds as nationwide unrest left 23 dead and dozens injured
Security personnel stand guard outside the US consulate in Karachi on March 1, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
An Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad on Monday granted bail to 42 individuals arrested in connection with vandalism and damage to property during protests following the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the case and approved the bail of all accused against surety bonds of Rs10,000 each.
Police had registered two separate cases against the accused — one at the Secretariat police station and the other at the Aabpara police station — under terrorism and other charges.
The protests in question erupted after Ali Khamenei was killed during strikes by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic. Crowds of people took to the streets across Pakistan, with the situation turning violent in many areas.
Read: Khamenei assassination: At least 23 killed as protests turn deadly across Pakistan
At least 23 protesters were killed in clashes across the country, including 10 outside the US consulate in Karachi, 11 in the northern city of Skardu – where the crowd torched a UN office and the army was deployed to control the situation – and two in the capital, Islamabad.
In Karachi, protesters chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” outside the consulate, where gunfire was heard and tear gas was fired in surrounding streets. The demonstrators also set a vehicle ablaze outside the main gate and clashed with police, with stone-pelting intensifying as reinforcements were summoned from across the city.
Police responded with tear gas and firing. Police Surgeon Dr Sameeya Tariq confirmed in a statement that 96 others were injured in the violence.
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Protesters also took to the streets in other parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar. In Lahore, police said hundreds gathered outside the US consulate, where small-scale clashes occurred when police fired tear gas to control the crowd.
In the federal capital, thousands of protesters, carrying black flags and chanting “Down with America!” and anti-Israel slogans, gathered in Aabpara Chowk and attempted to march towards the US Embassy despite heavy police deployment and containers placed to seal the Red Zone.
Protesters pelted stones at police, entered the restricted area and reached the gate of the Diplomatic Enclave. Police responded with tear gas and aerial firing, using armoured vehicles to push the protesters back to Aabpara Chowk.
