KARACHI, Sept 25, Reuter: Five people were killed in gun battles in Karachi on Sunday when police swooped to make arrests after an earlier shootout between rival video cassette shop owners, Doctors and Police said.

A Government statement said troops imposed a curfew in the area and police said one constable was among the dead. Four people were killed on Friday in shooting sparked by a quarrel between the video shop owners over the alleged use of immoral films.

The latest gunfight broke out when police arrested more than 20 people in connection with Friday’s clashes, residents said. Hospital Doctors said they had received the bodies of four civilians killed in Sunday’s shooting.

Video cassette hire shops are a booming business in Pakistan, where authorities strictly censor films shown on slate television and cinema houses.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 30, 1988