It was some of the worst strife so far this year in Karachi, a city of 18 million that has long been a hotbed of crime and violence, much of it linked to ethnic, sectarian and political divisions. Police were still trying to determine motives for the latest killings.
At least 12 people were killed Thursday, said Sharfuddin Memon, a security adviser for Sindh province, where the massive port city is located. Two of the victims died when gunmen targeted a bus.
Memon said 27 other people were killed in sporadic shootings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Some Pakistani television reporters wore bulletproof vests as they filed their reports.
Karachi’s most powerful political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, demanded that the federal government respond to the violence. It threatened to call for a citywide strike unless the government brings the killings under control.
The MQM is suspected of links to some of the armed gangs in the city, as are some of its rival political parties.
