KARACHI / HYDERABAD, Jan 8: Violence broke out in parts of Karachi on Saturday after a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was shot dead in Pir Colony. At least 12 people were injured and three buses torched in the space of a few hours.

In Hyderabad, a member of the MQM was seriously injured in an armed attack and hours later a young man was killed by a stray bullet.

Asim Abbas Zaidi, the MQM worker, was on his way to Latifabad when he was fired upon by unidentified assailants on Salahuddin Road.

Police shifted him to the Civil Hospital, but doctors advised Mr Zaidi be admitted to a hospital in Karachi in view of his critical condition.

Acts of arson and aerial fire gripped Karachi’s Martin Road-Jail Road area after the fatal shooting of Yawar Abbas, 38, near his home in Martin Quarters.

Several other parts of the city saw violence, throwing Karachi once again into fear and uncertainty.

A spokesman for the Muttahida said Yawar Abbas was a long-time member of the party and had served as unit in charge of his area.

Late in the evening, a young man, Saddam Hussain, was shot dead in Hyderabad near Gharib Nawaz flyover. He was a restaurant worker. .

Enraged protesters lit bonfires, leading to suspension of traffic.