Karachi violence kills scores; police ordered to shoot on sight

Parts of Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, are largely deserted, after four days of political and ethnic violence that has killed at least 80 people.

Pakistani security forces have been ordered to shoot armed men on sight, while Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters Friday that dozens of suspects had been detained in connection with targeted killings, VOA reports.

The port city of 18 million has been plagued by violence for years, "much of it related to links between the city's political leaders and its organized crime gangs," reports the LA Times.

Fueling the violence is the years-long battle between rival gangs for Karachi's prime real estate, which can yield millions of dollars in profits.

Police reportedly said the killings were part of clashes between political groups in Sindh province, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and its rival Awami National Party (ANP).

"It’s much worse than I’ve seen in the last five years," one resident told the Financial Times. "There are reports of rocket launchers being used. The streets are almost completely empty."

President Asif Ali Zardari's shaky coalition government said it was deploying 1,000 paramilitaries to provide back-up to police.

Gunmen have raked buses with gunfire and set fire to buildings, with police manning checkpoints largely powerless to intervene, the FT reports.