The deaths included 10 people in Karachi, at least eight in Skardu and two in the capital, Islamabad, as demonstrations largely led by members of Pakistan’s Shia Muslim community escalated and security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.
Pakistan, a country of more than 250 million people, is predominantly Sunni Muslim, but Shia account for more than 20 percent of the population and are spread across the country.
In Islamabad, thousands gathered near the Red Zone, the heavily fortified district that houses the parliament, government offices and foreign embassies. Protesters chanted, “Those who side with the US are traitors” and called for “revenge against Israel”.
Between 5,000 and 8,000 people, including women and children, assembled near one of the capital’s largest hotels, holding placards bearing Khamenei’s image.
