Shooting at Karachi’s US consulate: What does international law say?

On the morning of March 1, 2026, the towering walls of the United States consulate in Karachi became the backdrop to a spectacle that was as political as it was perilous. Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the gates, their anger fuelled by the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in strikes launched by Israel and the US, an event whose aftershocks have rippled well beyond Iran’s borders.

The chants against foreign intervention frayed into disorder as crowds surged forward, overwhelmed outer defences, and attempted to storm the diplomatic compound. In the ensuing melee, gunfire cracked through the air and by nightfall, at least 10 people had been killed, and dozens more were injured.

Later on Monday, US officials said the United States Marines had opened fire on demonstrators. They said it was unclear whether rounds fired by Marines struck or killed anyone, but they also did not know whether shots were also fired by others protecting the mission, including private security guards and local police.

When a foreign consulate becomes a site of bloodshed, the story does not end with casualty figures. It begins there. Thus, in the aftermath, a series of uncomfortable, technical, and urgent questions presses forward:

Is a US consulate in Karachi, as many casually assume, American sovereign territory? Or does it remain Pakistani soil, albeit protected by special legal status? What rules govern the use of lethal force by US Marines and other personnel assigned to guard the consulate? When protesters breach the premises, how do principles such as necessity and proportionality (terms often invoked but rarely unpacked) operate in practice?

And if civilians are killed by foreign security personnel within a diplomatic compound, which country has jurisdiction? What avenues of accountability, if any, does international law provide?

These questions sit at the heart of how diplomatic protection, state sovereignty, and the use of force intersect. And they demand careful answers.

The question of sovereign territory

According to Baqir Sajjad Syed, Foreign Affairs and National Security correspondent for Dawn, a fundamental point that many still get wrong is that a US consulate in Karachi is American sovereign territory. “It is not. It fully remains a part of Pakistan. Any other notion reflects a misunderstanding of the law,” he said, stressing that the confusion arises from a persistent myth that embassies or consulates somehow transform into “foreign soil”.

Oves Anwar, Director of the Research Society of International Law, concurred. “The........

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