United News of Bangladesh

At least nine people were killed and around two dozen injured Sunday during violent clashes with police and paramilitary forces after hundreds of Shiite protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, officials said. The unrest followed reports that the United States and Israel had carried out attacks in Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Police and hospital sources said at least 25 people were wounded, with several in critical condition. Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at Karachi’s main government hospital, confirmed that six bodies and multiple injured were initially brought to the hospital, but the death toll later rose to nine after three critically wounded individuals died. Karachi is the capital of Sindh province and Pakistan’s largest city. Senior police official Irfan Baloch said the protesters briefly attacked the consulate’s perimeter but were eventually dispersed. “The situation is now fully under our control,” he said, dismissing reports that the consulate building had been set on fire. He added, however, that demonstrators torched a nearby police post and damaged consulate windows before security forces restored order. Witnesses said dozens of protesters remained gathered about a kilometre from the consulate, urging others to join them. One demonstrator reportedly tried to set fire to a consulate window before police intervened. The Sindh provincial government urged citizens to express their views peacefully and warned against involvement in violence. Elsewhere, Shiite groups held a peaceful rally in Multan, chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans. Participant Mamoona Sherazi said she was protesting the killing of Khamenei, whom she described as a fatherly figure and a strong advocate for Shiites and oppressed Sunni Muslims. “God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel,” she said. Another rally took place near the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Punjab province. Senior police official Faisal Kamran said demonstrators were prevented from reaching the consulate and were dispersed when they attempted to march toward it. Additional rallies were planned in Islamabad and other cities. Authorities said security has been strengthened at the U.S. Embassy and consulates nationwide to prevent further violence. Shiites comprise roughly 15% of Pakistan’s population of about 250 million, forming one of the world’s largest Shiite communities. While anti-U.S. and anti-Israel protests have occurred in the past, clashes of this scale are rare.  

A massive blast outside Karachi Airport in Pakistan on Sunday killed two workers from China and injured at least eight, officials from both countries said. Police and the provincial government said a tanker exploded outside the airport, which is Pakistan’s biggest. A Chinese Embassy statement said that a convoy carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited had been attacked around 11 p.m., killing two Chinese and injuring one other. It said there were Pakistani casualties as well. The provincial home minister, Zia Ul Hassan, told local TV station Geo that the explosion was an attack targeting foreigners. Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, most of them involved in Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative that connects south and central Asia with the Chinese capital. Videos showed flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene. There was a heavy military deployment at the site, which was cordoned off. Read: Militants kill six Pakistani soldiers during a shootout in the country's northwest The Chinese statement called the explosion a “terrorist attack” and said that China is working with Pakistan to handle the aftermath. It called for a thorough investigation to punish the perpetrators and reminded Chinese citizens in the country to take safety precautions. “The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack (and) express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries,” the statement said. Deputy Inspector General East Azfar Mahesar told media that it seemed like it was an oil tanker explosion. “We are determining the nature and reasons for the blast. It takes time." Police officers were among the injured, he added. Read more: Pakistani security forces kill 6 insurgents in a raid in the southwest The home minister and inspector general also visited the blast site, but they did not talk to the media. Rahat Hussain, who works in the civil aviation department, said the blast was so big that it shook the airport’s buildings.

South Africa’s cricket team arrived in the southern port city of Karachi on Saturday to play Test matches in Pakistan for the first time in nearly 14 years.

 An ongoing spell of torrential rain in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi has left at least 23 people killed, dozens injured and scores of others homeless, local media and officials said on Friday.

A train crashed into a bus carrying passengers at an unmanned railway crossing in southern Pakistan, killing 19 people and injuring 28 others, a local police superintendent said Saturday.

A gas leak in the southern port city of Karachi has killed 14 people and sickened hundreds more, Pakistani health officials said Tuesday.

An unknown poisonous chemical leaked from a container at a port in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, killing at least five people and affecting 23 others, local police said Sunday.