PAKISTAN:The deaths of 39 people in Karachi on Saturday have given rise to fears of a revival of ethnic feuding, writes Mary Fitzgerald,Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Pakistan experienced its worst political violence in years at the weekend with deadly clashes between pro-government and opposition groups raising fears that the country's ongoing judicial crisis could trigger further national unrest.
At least 39 people died on Saturday in the southern city of Karachi as gun battles raged between supporters of President Pervez Musharraf and opposition groups who have rallied behind a senior judge suspended by Musharraf in March. The disturbances continued into today, claiming at least seven more lives.
"It appeared at times as if there was no government in Karachi and it was gunmen who ruled the nation's biggest city," complained an editorial in the leading national daily, Dawn.
The violence comes as Pakistan prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections due later this year. It is expected that Musharraf, a close US ally, will attempt to extend his rule.
A political crisis had been brewing since the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry following unspecified charges of "misuse of authority". Supporters of Chaudhry, an outspoken critic of the government, say he was removed because Musharraf wanted a more malleable judge to lead the judiciary, particularly if there are any legal challenges to the president's plans to prolong his term in office.
Denying any wrongdoing, Chaudhry has refused to resign and the furore surrounding his suspension has galvanised Pakistan's disparate opposition groups, with many viewing the campaign to reinstate him as the biggest challenge to Musharraf's rule since he came to power following a bloodless military coup in 1999.
After ignoring government requests to postpone a visit to Karachi because of fears of unrest, Chaudhry was forced to abandon plans to address a rally in the city on Saturday after pro-government groups blocked his way from the airport.
Competing political rallies timed to coincide with the judge's visit sparked gunfire and clashes between rival groups that left bodies on the streets and scores injured.
Furthermore, many in Karachi believe there is a growing ethnic dimension to the violence, triggering fears it may reignite the deadly feuding between ethnic factions that ravaged the city in the 1980s and 1990s.
Speaking at a rally in Islamabad on Saturday night, Musharraf ruled out declaring a state of emergency and blamed "elements who tried to create turmoil by politicising" Chaudhry's suspension. The government yesterday ordered paramilitary troops to shoot on sight anyone involved in the disturbances.
Last night, opposition and pro-government groups blamed each other for the violence. "The situation is out of control and now the government has handed over law and order to a paramilitary force," Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for the opposition Pakistan People's Party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, told The Irish Times. "It looks like the trouble will not only continue but also increase in intensity over the next days," he said, adding that opposition groups had agreed to call for a national strike today.
They blame the pro-government Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for orchestrating much of Saturday's violence, but it denies the claim. "The events of the weekend have let the cat out of the bag," Farooq Sattar, an MQM leader, told The Irish Times. "It is becoming very clear that the opposition's aim is to destabilise and topple the government. The death toll could have been much higher."