Karachi ethnic clashes 'kill 12'

Dozens of people have been killed over the past weeks

At least 12 people have been killed in two days of violence in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, police say.

The killings appear to be the result of targeted attacks by rival ethnic and political groups, they say.

Dozens of people have been killed in similar attacks across the city over the past few weeks.

Police
say sporadic gunfire is still continuing in parts of Karachi, a city of
17 million people and the country's financial hub.

The
latest spate of killings started when ethnic Pashtun activists working
for the Awami National Party (ANP) were attacked by unknown gunmen on
Friday.

The attack was followed by shootings across the Pashtun-dominated Orangi district, in western Karachi.

The Karachi chief of the ANP, Shahid Syed, blamed activists loyal to the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) for the attack.

The
MQM denied the allegations. The MQM represents the city's majority
Urdu-speaking community which migrated from India at the time of the
partition in 1947.

Last month, MQM activists were blamed for carrying out similar attacks against ethnic Baloch residents in Karachi.

The
Urdu-speaking people mostly support the MQM, while the Baloch people
are supporters of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

The two parties share power in federal and local government.

Last month's violence was brought to a halt following a meeting of PPP and MQM leaders to settle their political differences.