ISLAMABAD:Slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto's supporters went on a rampage on Friday looting banks, burning train stations and clashing with police as authorities issued "shoot-to-kill" orders to paramilitary forces in Sindh to tackle the rioters.
Authorities struggled to contain angry protests, mainly by workers of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, as at least 14 people were killed in violence in various parts of the country following her assassination, which was claimed by al-Qaeda.
Those who died in violent protests included three PPP workers who were killed during a clash with police at Dadu in Sindh on Friday. A policeman died of his injuries after being shot during the unrest in Karachi, where angry protesters burnt an outlet of American fast-food chain KFC, reports reaching here said.
Paramilitary Pakistan Rangers spokesman Major Asad Ali said the rioters "did too much" last night and had damaged government property and harassed the people.
Ali said the "shoot-to-kill" orders were applicable only in Sindh, which witnessed the fiercest protests and where 16,000 Rangers personnel had been deployed to deal with the violence.
In Karachi, the capital of Sindh, mobs looted three banks before setting them on fire.
An al-Qaeda leader based in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the assassination of Bhutto, who was shot by a suicide attacker after she addressed an election rally in nearby Rawalpindi on Thursday.
