Family members of a victim mourn his death in Karachi on Aug 17, 2011.
Reports say two straight days of violence have killed at least 39 people and wounded several others in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi.
The gunfire erupted in the nation's biggest city after a former lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan People's Party was gunned down by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday.
The government sources have blamed criminal gangs for the fresh outbreak of violence.
“Gangs operating in the city are involved in the fresh killing. They are kidnapping people for different reasons, torturing and killing,” AP quoted government security advisor in Sindh Province, of which Karachi is the capital.
The killings have been some of the worst seen so far this year in Karachi -- a city of 18 million people and a hotbed of crime and violence.
But, the previous spate of violence had reportedly been blamed on supporters of Karachi's leading rival political parties.
The developments come weeks after a dispute between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP) triggered targeted killings in the city over the past weeks.
MQM, the dominant political force in Karachi, accuses ANP of acts to destabilize the city. The ANP has denied the charges and accused the MQM of fueling the violence.
The two parties often accuse each other of being involved in killing the other party's members and affiliates.
The city experienced similar political unrest in August 2010 which left scores of people dead.
Karachi is home to numerous ethnic groups and has been hit by clashes between rival ethnic and political factions for much of the 1990s.
SS/JR/MGH
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