The US Embassy in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad announced on Tuesday (local time) that it is canceling all visa appointments till Friday, March 6, ANI reported.
The development comes days after the United States and Israel launched strikes in Iran, targeting the country’s military and naval forces and killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking massive protests by members of the Shiite community across the country.
In a post on X, citing the current geopolitical scenarios, the US Embassy in Islamabad said: “Due to the current security situation, the US Embassy in Islamabad and Consulates General in Lahore and Karachi have canceled all visa appointments until Friday, March 6.”
The advisory also extends to the U.S. Consulates General in Lahore and Karachi as officials continue to monitor and assess the evolving situation in the country.
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Protests in Pak cities turn violent
Following Khamenei’s death, several roads in the western and southern districts of Karachi were closed on Monday due to the prevailing security situation due to nationwide protests, Dawn reported.
At least 10 people were reportedly killed in Karachi and two were killed in the Pakistani capital after protests erupted in Pakistan following Khamenei’s death on February 28, the day the US and Israel launched strikes.
To control the situation, law enforcement officials in Pakistan resorted to shelling with tear gas and batons. Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which deals with “joining an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons”, has been implemented across Sindh.
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Protests also intensified on Monday in the Gilgit-Baltistan region over the attack on Iran and the killing of Khamenei, with at least seven protesters killed and several others reportedly injured in violent clashes.
In Gilgit, angry protesters set fire to local United Nations offices, including that of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Several government buildings and the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) were also torched in Skardu during the riots.
Iran vows to avenge Khamenei’s death
Khamenei, Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, was killed in the attacks on February 28, days after US-Iranian talks on Iran’s nuclear program stalled. Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for 36 years, succeeded the revolution’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, and his tenure has been consistently marked by opposition to Western influence.
Following Khamenei’s death, Iran observed 40 days of mourning, with President Masoud Pezeshkian announcing that he would avenge his death, adding that the strikes that killed Khamenei were a “declaration of war against Muslims”.
Under Iran’s constitution, the next supreme leader will be appointed by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body elected by the general public every eight years. Once the Supreme Leader’s position becomes vacant, the Assembly will begin selecting his successor, and in the meantime, an interim leadership council will be formed to take over the Supreme Leader’s duties. The council was created on March 1, as announced by President Pezeshkian in a televised address. Along with Pezeshkian, the other two council members are Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei and Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.
