US Embassy in Pak cancels visa, consular services after attacks on consulates

The United States Embassy Islamabad on Monday cancelled all visa appointments and American Citizen Services after violent protests swept parts of Pakistan a day earlier, leaving diplomatic premises damaged and dozens dead in clashes nationwide.

In a statement posted on X, the embassy announced that all visa and citizen service appointments for 2 March had been suspended at its Islamabad mission as well as at the US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, citing security concerns.

The decision followed a wave of unrest triggered by outrage over the reported assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israel strikes. Large sections of Pakistan’s Shia community poured onto the streets, condemning the killing and calling for demonstrations outside American diplomatic facilities.

Violent scenes unfolded outside the United States Consulate General Karachi and the US Consulate in Lahore, while calls for protests were also made near the embassy in Islamabad and the consulate in Peshawar. Visuals circulating on social media showed shattered windows, damaged entryways and fires burning within the Karachi consulate compound, as demonstrators clashed with security personnel.

According to reports in The Express Tribune, at least 23 protesters were killed in confrontations across the country — including 10 outside the Karachi consulate, 11 in Skardu district of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, and two in Islamabad. In Skardu, protesters reportedly torched a United Nations office amid the unrest.

The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) confirmed that its offices in Skardu and Gilgit were set ablaze, though no casualties were reported at its facilities. Additional government and institutional buildings — including a school, the office of the superintendent of police, and the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme office — were also set on fire, according to reports in the Dawn.

Authorities responded with a forceful crackdown. Police deployed crowd-control measures as protesters were seen attacking guard posts and damaging property with sticks and stones. A curfew was imposed in Skardu to restore order, and the Pakistan Army was called in under Section 245 of the Pakistan Penal Code to assist civil authorities.

The US Embassy has advised American citizens in Pakistan to closely monitor local media, avoid protest areas, and maintain heightened personal security.

With diplomatic operations disrupted and tensions simmering, the unrest marks one of the most serious security challenges faced by US missions in Pakistan in recent years.

With IANS inputs