Karachi violence death toll rises to 52 in 4 days [October 20 2010]

The death toll from four days of violence sparked by a contentious local election in Pakistans largest city rose to 52 today when at least one person was shot and killed despite efforts to restore order. Security forces patrolled the southern city of Karachi to prevent fresh violence and in many neighborhoods, businesses shut down while public transportation was scarce.

"The atmosphere of terror is everywhere," said local resident Mohammad Sadiq. "People are scared to come out of their houses." Many of the slayings in Karachi — including the ones that started Saturday evening — have been linked to gangs allegedly controlled by political parties. This wave of violence coincided with Sundays election to replace a provincial lawmaker killed in August.

Karachi, a port city of about 16 million, has a long history of political, ethnic and religious strife. But this year has been exceptionally bloody. The city has seen around 300 "targeted killings," mostly among the gangs, since June. That is roughly twice the number for all of 2009. The spate of politically motivated attacks in Karachi comes as Pakistan conducts talks with the U.S. on the future of their shaky alliance against the Taliban and al-Qaida. U.S. officials in Washington on Wednesday are expected to discuss a long-term military and security assistance pact with a visiting Pakistani delegation.

Despite heavy security, crowds angry over the recent killings set fire to several fruit and vegetable stalls in Malir, a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city where five men were shot Wednesday. It was not immediately clear who fired the shots. One of the five men was killed and four were wounded, said Seemin Jamali, a doctor at the largest public hospital in the city. She could not provide any details about the person killed.