Indian Killed In Tanker Attack, Deadly Anti-US Protests In Pakistan

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – The escalating conflict in the Middle East has caused the death of an Indian national aboard an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, while simultaneously triggering violent, deadly protests against US diplomatic missions across Pakistan.

On March 2, the tanker MKD VYOM was attacked by an Unmanned Surface Vessel, leading to a fatal explosion, just as demonstrations protesting the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned chaotic in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. This twin crisis has forced the United States to suspend visa services in Pakistan and prompted the Indian government to coordinate the evacuation of the remaining crew members from the stricken vessel.

According to reports from the Oman News Agency, the tanker MKD VYOM, which was flagged to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and carrying over 59,000 metric tons of cargo, was targeted approximately 52 nautical miles off the Omani coast. The attack triggered a fire in the main engine room, killing one Indian crew member. A commercial vessel, MV SAND, successfully evacuated the remaining 21 crew members, a group composed of 16 Indians, four Bangladeshis, and one Ukrainian. Simultaneously, a vessel from the Royal Navy of Oman is monitoring the damaged tanker and issuing navigational warnings to other ships in the area.

In a related escalation, violent protests ignited by the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes have engulfed Pakistan. The US Embassy in Islamabad announced the suspension of visa appointments and American Citizens Services for March 2 following demonstrators breaching security perimeters in Karachi and Lahore. Visuals showed protesters damaging property, smashing windows, and setting fire to parts of the US Consulate in Karachi, where clashes between demonstrators and security personnel resulted in the deaths of at least 10 people.

Further violence was reported in the Skardu district of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan, where protesters torched the offices of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan. According to reports, nationwide clashes left at least 23 protesters dead, including 10 in Karachi, 11 in Skardu, and two in Islamabad. The US Embassy has advised American citizens to monitor local news and take precautions for their personal security amid the widespread unrest.