Fresh violence in Pak, 4 killed

New Delhi: In Pakistan, four people are dead and at least seven have been injured in renewed violence in Karachi.

Army troops are on patrol on the city's streets. The Opposition ARDI alliance is observing a day of mourning.

The religious party Muqaida Qaumi Movement, an ally of the government, has called for a strike on Monday. Thirty-four people were killed in clashes between pro-government and opposition activists on Saturday, ahead of a rally by ex-chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

Addressing a rally on Saturday night, President Pervez Musharraf ruled out imposition of Emergency, saying the situation is under control.

A crisis has been brewing since President General Pervez Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on March 9 over allegations he abused his office. Critics accuse Musharraf, also army chief, of trying to sideline the independent-minded judge in case of legal challenges to efforts to prolong his nearly eight-year rule.

Newspaper editorials on Sunday lamented the descent into chaos and violence. ''It appeared at times as if there was no government in Karachi and it was gunmen who ruled the nation's biggest city,'' said the Dawn daily.

The front-page headline in The News referred to a ''Karachi bloodbath.''

Order was largely restored Sunday. Security forces in armored personnel carriers and pickup trucks topped with machine guns patrolled the streets, which were mostly peaceful and deserted.

But tensions remained high, particularly Pashtuns and Urdu-speaking supporters of the pro-government Mutahida Qaumi Movement party. Opposition parties have accused the MQM of initiating much of Saturday's violence, in which Pashtun supporters of Chaudhry were among the dead.

Youths pelted police with stones, and gunfire rang out in at least three neighborhoods as factions clashed, including the area where Rehman, a Pashtun, was killed. Police reported three other men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

Officials contacted at four hospitals across Karachi said the casualty toll had risen to 37 dead and about 150 wounded.

Karachi police chief Azhar Faruqi said several people have been arrested in connection with Saturday's violence but gave no details. He declared that authorities were ''now in control of the city.''

(With agency inputs)