Court approves bail release as nationwide unrest leaves 23 dead, dozens injured
Security officers stand guard in front of the American consulate in Karachi, March 1, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Monday granted bail to 42 people arrested on charges of vandalism and property damage during protests following the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Justice Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the case and approved the bail of all the accused on sureties of Rs 10,000 each.
The police had registered two separate cases against the accused – one at the Secretariat police station and the other at the Aabpara police station – on terrorism and other charges.
The protests in question erupted after the death of Ali Khamenei during strikes carried out 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 dead 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 town of Skardu – where crowds set fire to a UN office and the army was deployed to control the situation – and two in the capital, Islamabad.
In Karachi, demonstrators chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” in front of the consulate, where gunshots were heard and tear gas was fired into the surrounding streets. Protesters also set fire to a vehicle outside the main gate and clashed with police, with stone-throwing escalating as reinforcements were called in from across the city.
Police responded with tear gas and shooting. Police surgeon Dr Sameeya Tariq confirmed in a statement that 96 other people 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 of people gathered outside the US consulate, where small-scale clashes took place when police fired tear gas to control the crowds.
In the federal capital, thousands of demonstrators brandishing black flags and chanting “Down with America!” and anti-Israeli slogans, gathered at Aabpara Chowk and attempted to march towards the US embassy despite heavy police deployment and containers placed to seal off the red zone.
The protesters threw stones at the police, entered the restricted area and reached the gate of the diplomatic enclave. Police responded with tear gas and aerial fire, using armored vehicles to push protesters back toward Aabpara Chowk.
