A general strike was observed in Karachi and other major Pakistani cities yesterday to protest violence that left 41 people dead amid growing discontent over President General Pervez Musharraf's ouster of the chief justice.
In Islamabad, a Supreme Court began hearing a raft of petitions challenging Chaudhry's suspension, but proceedings were adjourned after one of the 14 judges declined to hear the case. Proceedings were due to resume today with the remaining 13 judges.
Shops were shut and traffic was thin on the roads in Karachi, where security forces have authority to shoot rioters on sight, after the weekend witnessed the worst political violence in Pakistan in years.
Security forces on Saturday took no action as rival groups demonstrating over an abortive visit to Karachi by suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry fought fierce clashes that also wounded more than 150 and caused widespread damage to property. Opposition parties blamed the government for the violence and called a nationwide protest strike yesterday.
"There is a complete strike in Karachi," said Azhar Faruqi, the city police chief.
He reported that law and order was improving -- after the unrest took an ominous ethnic turn on Sunday with clashes between Urdu-speaking Mohajirs linked to a pro-government party and Pashtuns, whose rivalry has caused bloodshed here in the past.
Officials said the strike was being observed in towns and cities across southern Sindh Province, of which Karachi is the capital.
The strike was also observed, in varying degrees, in Islamabad and the capitals of Pakistan's other three provinces, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
Many citizens appeared to support the strike call; others observed it out of fear of recrimination or unrest during pro-Chaudhry street demonstrations.
In Lahore, about 8,000 people, including lawyers, opposition party and human rights activists, chanted "Go Musharraf Go!" and "Death to Altaf Hussain."
Hussain is leader of the pro-government Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party blamed for much of the Karachi violence.
They burned two effigies of Musharraf and hundreds of protesters pushed through a police barricade.
The weekend's bloodshed marked a serious escalation in a crisis that began on March 9 when Musharraf suspended Chaudhry, and has hardened opposition to plans for the general to extend his nearly eight-year rule.
Newspaper editorials yesterday were scathing of the military leader.
The Daily Times accused Musharraf of sanctioning "brutal action to stop the chief justice in his tracks, leaving more than 40 dead."
"What message is given to ordinary Pakistanis, the outside world and those behind the violence when the state chooses to abdicate from its duty to provide security in as blatant a manner as seen over the weekend?" the News daily said.
The pro-government MQM, accused by the opposition of stirring the violence, has blamed Chaudhry for ignoring advice that he should not come to Karachi as it could lead to bloodshed.
The government has said it is too early to say who was to blame for causing the unrest.
Karachi Police Chief Faruqi defended security forces' low-profile on Saturday, saying opening fire on rioters would have made things worse.
"There would have been a lot of collateral damage," he said.
Sindh Home Secretary Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarem said Sunday that 3,000 extra paramilitary rangers had been called in.
He said that security forces were authorized to shoot to counter any "major breakdown of law and order."
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