KARACHI - Fresh political and ethnic violence gripped Pakistan's commercial capital over the past three days, leaving up to 44 people dead and taking the death toll for July to 339, city police said on Monday. Most of the weekend's casualties were reported in the city's eastern Malir, Landhi and adjoining areas, a multi-ethnic, lower middle class neighborhood. "We have identified the people and at least 200 police commandos will be dispatched to search and arrest these people," said Naeem Boroka, a senior police official in Karachi's eastern area. Police said there was no clear reason for the latest bout of fighting. The city, home to more than 18 million people, has a long history of ethnic, religious and sectarian violence and local quarrels and political disputes can often explode into battles engulfing entire districts.The areas affected are home to both Pashtuns and Muhajirs, the descendents of Urdu-speaking refugees who fled India to settle in Karachi in 1947 following the sub-continent's partition.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)