KARACHI, Pakistan/SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir
Protests broke out in several cities in South Asian nations on Sunday, with calls for "prioritizing diplomatic" engagements, following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel attack launched a day before.
People in Indian-administered Kashmir held protests and marched through the capital Srinagar and central Kashmir’s Budgam district, in addition to several towns in north and south Kashmir, with gatherings also reported in the eastern Ladakh region.
Tehran early Sunday announced the death of Khamenei, 86, following US-Israeli bombardment on the Iranian capital on Saturday.
In a statement, Chief Minister of Indian-administered Kashmir Omar Abdullah, while expressing deep concern over the unfolding developments in Iran, including Khamenei's killing, urged "all communities to remain calm, uphold peace, and avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest."
Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, along with other religious scholars, called for a strike in the disputed valley on Monday, denouncing the US-Israeli aggression and killing of the supreme leader. High-speed internet traffic was also affected in the valley.
Separately, officials announced that schools and colleges in Kashmir will remain closed for two days starting Monday "as a precautionary measure" following protests across the valley, Press Trust of India reported.
'Despicable, deserves strong condemnation'
Protests also erupted in several parts of India, including in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, following the killing of Khamenei.
A crowd also gathered in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar site to protest the killing of Khamanei, according to The Hindu.
India’s main opposition Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi said the “targeted assassination of the leadership of a sovereign nation” and the “killing of multitudes of innocent people is despicable and deserves strong condemnation, no matter what the proclaimed reason for it is.”
“It is tragic that multiple nations have now been dragged into conflict. The world needs peace not more unnecessary wars,” she said on US social media company X. “Those in charge of it would do well to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s words: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Protests in Pakistan
Meanwhile, police in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi clashed with protesters who stormed the US consulate.
Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic by burning tires and pelted stones at the police, which in return fired teargas to disperse them. All roads leading to the US Consulate in the city's southern district were hence closed. Yet, according to videos on social media, some managed to enter the mission's entrance and smashed windows. At least nine people were killed in the clashes, according to officials.
In Lahore, hundreds of protesters, including women and children, also tried to march towards the US Consulate, which was prevented by the police.
Protests also attempted to march towards the US embassy in the capital Islamabad.
Call for dialogue and diplomacy
Separately, several Asian nations called for the resumption of dialogue and diplomacy to prevent the conflict from further deterioration following the attack, which led Iran to retaliate against Israel and US assets in the region, prompting many Gulf states to shut their airspace.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Canberra is concerned about the escalation and urged citizens to leave the region.
He told reporters in Sydney that the government updated its official travel advice for Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to "do not travel."
He urged the Australian citizens already in those countries to leave immediately if it is safe to do so.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was not involved in the attacks on Iran. The country, however, has expressed support for the military operation.
Japan has so far refrained from expressing outright support for the US and Israeli attacks.
Around 60 people took part in a silent protest against the attack in front of the US Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan, according to Kyodo News.
In a phone conversation with other members of the Group of Seven (G7) nations, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated Tokyo's position that it supports US efforts to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program through dialogue, according to Kyodo News.
Thailand also expressed "grave" concern over the unfolding situation in the Middle East. "We urge all the parties to prevent the conflict from further deterioration, thereby undermining international peace and security and affecting innocent civilians," the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry reiterated the urgency of "dialogue and diplomacy" to prevent the situation from further deterioration.
Cambodia called on all parties concerned to exercise "maximum restraint to avoid further escalation that would harm civilian lives and undermine peace."
Expressing "heartfelt" grief over Khamenei's killing, Bangladesh's opposition leader and chief of Jamat-e-Islami party Shafiqur Rahman called upon the US, Israel, Iran, and all parties concerned to immediately halt military actions, exercise maximum restraint, and prioritize diplomatic engagement.
Rahman’s party also held a rally in the capital Dhaka to protest the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the killing of Khamenei.
India's External Affairs Ministry asked foreign nationals in the country to contact regional registration offices for assistance regarding visa extension amid the heightened tensions.
Iran has declared 40 days of public mourning in the country.
The Iranian Supreme National Security Council said Khamenei was killed at his office early Saturday, and that his death would mark the beginning of a “great uprising against the tyrants of the world.”
*Ahmad Adil from New Delhi and SM Najmus from Dhaka contributed
