HYDERABAD, Dec 27: At least five people were injured when the grief-stricken workers of the Pakistan People’s Party turned violent in various cities and towns of Sindh protesting the assassination of chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Thursday.

About two dozen bank branches, several police stations, petrol pumps and vehicles were set ablaze in arson attacks as a pall of gloom fell over the province.

Thousands of terrified passengers, travelling from Karachi to Punjab and the NWFP through buses and trains, were stranded at different points on highways and railways stations after the traffic was suspended by the railways authorities and transporters.

PPP supporters cried and hugged each other in mourning. Angry protesters then took to the streets and attacked offices of nazims, PML-Q and MQM in various towns.

In Hyderabad, the protesters smashed billboards and portraits of political leaders who were allies of the government.

The offices of DPO and DCO in Tando Mohammad Khan were torched.

The protesters burnt an engine and three bogies of Mehran Express at the Tandojam station. When protesters tried to torch another bank in Tando Allahyar, the guard resorted to firing injuring four people.

Offices of Matiari DPO, taluka nazim, naib nazim and TMO were set on fire. The protesters torched four vehicles parked at the Matiari police station, including police mobiles.

In Tando Mohammad Khan, the activists set ablaze the district nazim secretariat, TMA office, a fire engine and two petrol pumps.

In Shikarpur, offices of the Edhi Welfare Trust, PIA, TMA, district council, railway station, MQM and First Women Bank were ransacked.

In Thatta, protesters set on fire a telephone exchange, a traffic police picket, TMA office, Raja bakery and a number of vehicles.

The PPP supporters attacked the Thatta police station and exchanged fire with the police, injuring an unidentified constable. Portraits of the Shirazi brothers and banners of pro-government parties were set on fire.

In Badin, shops were closed, youths took to the streets and set ablaze tyres.

In Nawabshah, PPP workers resorted to aerial firing and burnt tyres.

The protesters also blocked the National Highway at Qazi Ahmed. The main cloth market and two vehicles were also torched.

In Khairpur, PPP activists blocked all the roads.

In Naushahro Feroze, hundreds of people gathered in Padidan and pelted the railway station with stones. They also burnt some shops in the town.