Pakistan cities under curfew after 23 die in pro-Iran protests over Khamenei killing

Pakistani authorities deployed troops and imposed a three-day curfew before dawn on Monday in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu after several people died and tens were injured in violent protests following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, officials said.Thousands of Shiite demonstrators on Sunday attacked the offices of the UN Military Observer Group, which monitors the ceasefire along the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and the UN Development Programme in Skardu city.Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials. At least 12 people were killed and 80 others injured, police in the Gilgit-Baltistan region said.UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday protesters became violent near the group’s field station, which was vandalised.Police officers stand guard on a road after authorities impose curfew in Gigit, northern Pakistan, on Monday. Photo: AP“The safety and security of UN personnel and premises throughout the region remain our top priority, and we continue to closely monitor the situation,” he said.