U.S. Embassy in Pakistan Cancels Visa Services After Violent Protests Target Consulates
ISLAMABAD — The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan on Monday canceled all visa appointments and American Citizen Services in Islamabad and at its consulates in Karachi and Lahore following violent protests that erupted a day earlier.
“All appointments for US visas and American Citizen Services are cancelled for today, March 2, at the US Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore,” the embassy said in a post on X.
The decision came after demonstrations outside U.S. diplomatic facilities in Karachi and Lahore turned violent on Sunday. Calls for protests were also made targeting the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Peshawar.
The unrest followed large-scale demonstrations by members of Pakistan’s Shia community protesting the reported assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israel strikes.
The U.S. Embassy advised American citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news and follow heightened personal security precautions.
According to Pakistani media reports, at least 23 people were killed in clashes across the country. Ten protesters died outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, while 11 others were killed in the Skardu district of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. Two additional fatalities were reported in Islamabad.
Footage circulating on social media showed damage to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, with windows smashed and parts of the building reportedly set on fire. Protesters were seen attacking the guard area with sticks, leading to clashes with security forces.
In the Skardu and Gilgit regions, protesters set fire to offices of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, known as UNMOGIP, according to reports by Dawn. Other properties, including a school, the office of the superintendent of police and the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme office, were also reportedly torched.
Authorities imposed a curfew in Skardu as unrest continued. The Pakistan Army was deployed under Section 245 of the Pakistan Penal Code to assist civil authorities. Officials stated that no casualties were reported at the UNMOGIP facilities during the protests.
The situation remains tense as security forces maintain a heightened presence around diplomatic missions and key government buildings. (Source: IANS)
