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Blood feud between MQM factions claims more lives in Karachi

The police discovered seven bodies in different parts of Karachi today, some of them bore the marks of torture, and all of them were riddled with bullet holes.

Only one body has been identified, but police officials say the condition of the other bodies indicate that their deaths were likely linked to the ongoing feud between rival factions of the militant ethnic group, the Mohajir Quami Movement.

The mainstream Muttahida Quami Movement and the MQM have been fighting for supremacy since a split in 1992.

The toll in the last three years has been over 3000. Since June 1, more than 150 people have been killed in Karachi, many of them civilians caught in the crossfire -- others targeted, tortured and killed.

Yesterday a gun battle that continued most of the night in the violent Korangi neighbourhood of Karachi left three people dead, bringing the death toll in the last 24 hours to ten.

The provincial government of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, has been warned by the federal government to put an end to the relentless bloodletting.

The federal government has said it may increase the powers of the paramilitary Rangers Force, which is currently helping police patrol the troubled streets. The Rangers could be given the powers to detain people without charges.

Meanwhile, a bomb exploded in eastern Punjab province today, killing one person, the police said.

The bomb, hidden in a paper bag, was put under the bed of Mohammed Ali, who was sleeping outside his home, they said.

It was not immediately clear whether Ali was the target of the bomb or whether the culprits panicked and left the bag under his bed, the police said.

Several bomb explosions have rocked Punjab province in recent weeks.

UNI

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