Pakistan urges rival groups to end Karachi clashes

By Aftab Borka

KARACHI (Reuters) - Political parties in Pakistan's biggest city must help stop violence between rival ethnic-based factions, a provincial minister said on Monday, after days of bloodshed in which at least 20 people have been killed.

Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital and home to its main port, has a long history of political, ethnic and religious violence and the clashes have raised fears of a return to the bloodshed that plagued the city in the 1990s.

The violence, which broke out on Saturday, is between the city's majority community of Urdu-speakers, most descendents of migrants from India at the time of the partition of India in 1947, and ethnic Pashtuns from northwest Pakistan.

Rivals fought gun battles and burned shops and cars in several parts of the city of 15 million people on the weekend. More disturbances erupted on Monday and hospital officials reported another five deaths.

Provincial interior minister Zulfiqar Mirza told the provincial assembly police and paramilitary rangers had been deployed in all sensitive areas.

"Police and rangers are patrolling the areas but the political parties should also play their role to calm the situation," Mirza said.

Police have been told to shoot trouble-makers on sight and they have banned pillion riding on motor bikes.

Mirza said 20 people had been killed but according to a tally of reports from police and hospitals, the death toll was at least 30.