US-Iran war: US embassy in Pakistan cancels visa appointments until 6 March amid protests over Khamenei's death

The US embassy in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday (local time) announced that it is cancelling all visa appointments through Friday, 6 March, ANI reported.

The development came 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, which triggered massive protests across countries by the members of the Shia community.

Citing the current geopolitical scenarios, the US embassy in Islamabad, in a post on X, said, "Due to the current security situation, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulates General in Lahore and Karachi have cancelled all visa appointments through Friday, March 6."

The advisory also applies to the US Consulates General in Lahore and Karachi as officials continue to monitor and evaluate the evolving situations in the country.

At least 10 people were reportedly killed in Karachi, and two were killed in Pakistan's capital after protests erupted across Pakistan following Khamenei's death on 28 February, the day the US and Israel launched strikes.

To control the situation, the law enforcement personnel in Pakistan resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charges. Across Sindh, Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) was implemented, which deals with “joining an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons.”

On Monday, protests across the Gilgit-Baltistan region also intensified over the attack on Iran and Khamenei's killing, with violent clashes leaving at least seven demonstrators dead, and several others were reported injured.

In Gilgit, angry protestors set fire to local offices of the United Nations, which included the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office. In Skardu, several government buildings and the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) were also set on fire during the unrest.

After Khamenei's death, Iran is observing 40 days of mourning, with President Masoud Pezeshkian announcing that they would avenge his death, adding that the strikes that killed Khamenei were a "declaration of war against Muslims."

According to the Iranian Constitution, the next supreme leader will be appointed by the Assembly of Experts, which is an 88-member clerical body, elected by the general public every eight years. Once the position of the supreme leader becomes vacant, the Assembly begins to choose a successor, and in the meantime, an interim leadership council is formed, which takes over the duties of the supreme leader. The council was formed on 1 March, as announced by President Pezeshkian in a televised address. Along with Pezeshkian, the two other members of the council are Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei and Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.