At least nine people were killed near a US consulate in Karachi after protests erupted over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an official told Al Jazeera.
Security forces opened fire to scatter hundreds of pro-Iranian demonstrators trying to storm the consulate, injuring several others.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Al Jazeera at least nine bodies were brought to Karachi’s civil hospital.
Video footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed a wounded person being transported by bystanders. Other images showed protesters attempting to storm the US consulate building located on the city’s Mai Kolachi Road.
Large protests also broke out in other parts of Pakistan.
Protesters set fire to a United Nations office building in Pakistan’s northern city of Skardu, in the Shia-majority Gilgit Baltistan (GB) region, known for its Himalayan peaks popular with tourists.
“A large number of protesters have gathered outside the UN office in GB and burned down the building,” local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir told Reuters news agency, adding no casualties had been reported.
In the central city of Lahore, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US consulate, but there were no reports of violence.
“Some of the protesters tried to damage the security gate, hundreds of yards away from the consulate. However, police stopped them without using force,” Aqeel Raza, a witness, told Reuters news agency.