Pakistan deploys army, imposes curfew after deadly Iran protests

The Pakistani government called in the army Monday and imposed a three-day curfew in several parts of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region following deadly protests over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli attack, according to an official statement. At least 23 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between protesters and security forces across the country Sunday, prompting authorities to tighten security around the US Embassy and consulates. A curfew was enforced in the districts of Gilgit, Skardu and Shigar, where at least 11 protesters and one security official were killed and 40 others wounded during confrontations.
Thousands of Shiite demonstrators attacked on Sunday the offices of the UN Military Observer Group, which monitors the ceasefire along the disputed region of Kashmir, and the UN Development Programme in Skardu city.Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials. 
In Karachi, the country’s commercial hub, 10 people were killed and more than 60 injured during a protest outside the US Consulate. Two additional protesters were killed in the capital, Islamabad, while heading toward the US Embassy. The government warned that the situation could deteriorate further amid large-scale demonstrations condemning Khamenei’s killing. US suspends operations of Consulate in Peshawar.It said the US Consulates in Karachi and Lahore canceled all appointments for US visas and American citizen services Tuesday, adding that it has limited movement for all US government personnel throughout the country.
Anger has been rising in Pakistan, particularly among members of the Shiite minority, following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Khamenei and other senior officials. While Shiites are a minority nationwide, they form a majority in some northern districts and in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan.