Violence Flares in Pakistan's Largest City
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pakistani police officers display arms and ammunition they allegedly recovered from militants, in Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday, June 22, 2011. (AP2011)
KARACHI, Pakistan-- Authorities say a fresh wave of shootings has killed 11 people and wounded 18 in Pakistan's largest city.
Government official Sharfuddin Memon says paramilitary troops are being deployed in Karachi, where dozens have died in the past month in killings believed sparked by political feuds.
Karachi is a port city of 18 million that routinely witnesses more than 1,000 violent deaths a year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It is Pakistan's commercial heart, and the chaos here threatens to distract the government from its fight against Islamist militants.
Much of the recent violence in Karachi follows the decision by the city's most powerful party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, to quit the federal ruling coalition. Authorities are probing if political tensions fueled Friday's killings, too.