THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, was deeply respected among the millions of Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and India.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not just the supreme leader of Iran but also a widely respected religious figure among followers of Shiite Islam. In Pakistan and India, both home to millions of Shiites, there was an outpouring of anger and grief after he was killed during U.S.-Israeli strikes on Saturday.
Thousands took to the streets in India and Pakistan, many chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Some demonstrations spilled into violence in Pakistan, where the authorities say at least 25 people were killed during unrest on Sunday.
Mr. Khamenei, who died at 86, was considered the leader of all Shiites, not just Iran, said Nawab Masood Abdullah, a Shiite community leader in the city of Lucknow in India. “His status is similar to what the Pope means to Christians,” he added.
For more than three decades as Iran’s supreme leader, Mr. Khamenei cultivated the image of a resistance leader who united people opposed to the United States and Israel. For Shiites outside Iran, experts said, Mr. Khamenei symbolized the power of the world’s biggest Shiite country. » | Showkat Nanda, Zia ur-Rehman, Suhasini Raj and Max Kim | Showkat Nanda reported from Srinagar, Zia ur-Rehman from Islamabad, Pakistan, and Suhasini Raj from New Delhi. | Friday, March 6, 2026
