ISLAMABAD: Two protesters were killed and 31 others injured in clashes with police during an anti-US demonstration here on Sunday.
The clashes erupted with law enforcement personnel near the Diplomatic Enclave, where people had gathered to protest the attacks on Iran.
The district administration had already banned all kinds of gatherings under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
According to reports, as many as nine injured persons were brought to Polyclinic Hospital, but one of them succumbed to injuries. While, at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) a dead body and 25 injured people were rushed; the injured included police and rangers personnel.
Earlier, the protestors raised slogans and began marching toward the US Embassy area, prompting heightened security and heavy police deployment across red zone. The move comes as Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan announced a protest and a planned encirclement of the US Embassy in the capital.
According to the district administration, all kinds of gatherings and assemblies would be considered unlawful under Section 144. It urged residents not to take part in any such gathering. Regardless, thousands of people reached Aabpara Chowk in the late afternoon to march towards the US Embassy for protests over Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei’s assassination.
However, the march was stopped by the law enforcement agencies at Serena Chowk, where shelling was employed, resulting in injuries to multiple persons.
Police resorted to heavy shelling near the Foreign Office building in an effort to stop the protesters from entering the Diplomatic Enclave. The police, backed by Rangers, succeeded in pushing the protesters back and out of the Red Zone.
In an advisory at noon, the Islamabad police said all routes leading to the Red Zone, which houses important government buildings, had been closed.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has visited the Red Zone, Diplomatic Enclave and other areas to review the law and order situation in federal capital.
During his visit, he inspected the security arrangements and directed authorities to ensure foolproof security in the Diplomatic Enclave.
Naqvi said peaceful protest is everyone’s right. However, any kind of anarchy under the guise of protest will absolutely not be allowed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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