At least 7 die in Pakistan political violence

At least seven people were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Pervez Musharraf in the southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, hospital officials said.

The violence is the first since a new government made up of Musharraf's opponents was sworn in just over a week ago.

Television footage showed a policeman firing shots in the air to disperse angry mobs who were setting fire to cars and petrol pumps.

A Reuters reporter saw the bodies of two men who, according to hospital officials, had been killed in shooting. Five charred bodies were later recovered from an office building which was set on fire, police told Reuters.

"The violence erupted in various parts of the city and protesters set on fire several vehicles," a senior police officer, Azhar Farooqui, told Reuters.

"The situation is tense but under control," he said.

The violence broke out after anti-Musharraf lawyers clashed in court with his supporters.

The city has been tense since angry protesters assaulted Arbab Ghulam Rahim, a Musharraf supporter and former chief minister of Sindh, on Monday as he was coming out of provincial assembly in Karachi.

Another vocal supporter of Musharraf, former federal minister Sher Afghan Niazi, was thrashed by angry lawyers in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday.

"SHAMEFUL ACT"

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a pro-Musharraf party which holds sway in Karachi and other cities of Sindh, blamed anti-Musharraf lawyers for violence.

"The (anti-Musharraf) lawyers beat Sher Afgan in Lahore and today they beat our lawyers who were holding a peaceful protest in Karachi. This is a shameful act," Haider Abbas Rizvi, a senior MQM leader said.

But lawyers' leaders rejected accusation.

"Everyone saw, even mediamen were there, that the MQM-backed lawyers stormed the bar building and ransacked our offices," Naeem Qureshi, Secretary-General of Karachi Bar Association said.

"This is an attack on the campaign for the restoration of judiciary and democracy"

Lawyers have waged a campaign against Musharraf since he tried to dismiss Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, in March last year.

Musharraf has become increasingly isolated after a crushing defeat of his allies in Feb. 18 elections.

Last November Musharraf sacked Chaudhry and dozens of other judges when he imposed emergency rule for six weeks to pre-empt a ruling against legitimacy of his re-election in October while still remaining army chief.

The new coalition government, led by the Pakistan People's Party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto last month promised to reinstate the judges.

Chaudhry, and nine others were freed from house arrest late last month, with the new government waiting in the wings.