KARACHI, Pakistan — A street fight between political rivals spiraled into rioting in Pakistan’s biggest city Wednesday, with armed men smashing cars and setting fires. Five people burned to death in one building and two were shot and killed.
It was the worst political violence Pakistan’s new government has faced since taking office last month, vowing to curtail the powers of U.S.-allied President Pervez Musharraf and cement democracy after eight years of military rule.
The trouble broke out when pro- and anti-government attorneys punched and beat each other with sticks near the main courts complex in Karachi. Soon after, armed men in began shooting and torching cars in several districts, witnesses said.
A nearby building was set ablaze, and five charred bodies were found on the sixth floor, police said.
