Pakistan: 11 shot dead at city scrapyard

SECTIONS of Pakistan's largest city shut down yesterday after an attack on a scrapyard pushed to 51 the number of people killed in four days.

In the latest attack, said to be politically motivated, gunmen opened fire in the scrapyard, killing 11 people.

Shops were set on fire in an outlying neighbourhood of Karachi, where police tried to calm gathering crowds, footage broadcast on Pakistani TV stations showed.

The violence in Karachi comes as Pakistan is engaged in talks with the US on the future of their shaky alliance against the Taleban and al-Qaeda.

US officials in Washington were last night due to discuss a long-term military and security assistance pact with a visiting Pakistani delegation.