The Pakistani city of Karachi has been brought to a near standstill after religious parties called a strike to protest sectarian violence.
On February 8, most schools and businesses were closed, and there were reports of rioting and isolated incidents of gunfire in some parts of the city.
The strike was called to protest the killing of a prominent Sunni Muslim cleric on January 31.
Abdul Majeed Deenpuri, a leading cleric at one of Pakistan's largest seminaries, died after gunmen opened fire on his car.
No one has been arrested for his murder. Pakistan's independent Human Rights Commission says ethnic, sectarian, and politically-linked violence in Karachi killed nearly 2,300 people in 2012 in the deadliest year for such violence for two decades.
On February 8, most schools and businesses were closed, and there were reports of rioting and isolated incidents of gunfire in some parts of the city.
The strike was called to protest the killing of a prominent Sunni Muslim cleric on January 31.
Abdul Majeed Deenpuri, a leading cleric at one of Pakistan's largest seminaries, died after gunmen opened fire on his car.
No one has been arrested for his murder. Pakistan's independent Human Rights Commission says ethnic, sectarian, and politically-linked violence in Karachi killed nearly 2,300 people in 2012 in the deadliest year for such violence for two decades.
