ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Grief, accompanied by senseless violence, overwhelmed the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi as the slain leader Benazir Bhutto was buried in her hometown on Friday.

The twin cities looked as lifeless on the sombre day as the charismatic leader being buried.

“It is like a graveyard out there. No one is on the roads. People are heartbroken,” said Asifa Hasan, a researcher, about Islamabad.

Many people, overcome by emotions, however took to violence while mischief-mongers continued their overnight spree of attacks on private and public properties.

In Rawalpindi they set on fire a bus, two commercial buildings and three banks and damaged several cars, traffic signals and posts and billboards.

And in Islamabad students of the Quaid-i-Azam University burnt down their own university bus.

Authorities called in Rangers in Rawalpindi late Friday evening after the reinforced security force looked unable to control the mindless fury.

Roads were deserted and all businesses were closed in the two cities.

The few shops which opened in small localities were forced to close down by roaming vigilante groups.

People needing to go out found no public transport and those who ventured out in their own cars found no gas and petrol station open to fill their tanks.

Still people trudged in great numbers forgetting their party affiliations to funeral prayers in absentia held at many places in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Prayers were also offered at Friday congregations for the salvation of Benazir Bhutto and the scores of others who were killed in the bomb attack on her and the violence that erupted across the country in its aftermath.

PPP Senator Babar Awan, who was with his party leader till she climbed into her armoured vehicle moments before being assassinated, led funeral prayers in absentia for Ms Bhutto in front of the Parliament House in the federal capital.

However, expect for former MNA Mian Mohammad

Aslam and minority leader J. Salik, there was no prominent politician among the congregation.

Meanwhile, mosque Imams particularly prayed for peace and security of Pakistan.

Citizens of the two cities mostly disapproved of the violent reaction and commentators on television channels advised viewers to keep their cool and calm in the disturbed situation.

“There is nothing to be gained by burning cars, shops and banks.

They are your property not of any perceived enemy. Killing innocent people is not going to bring back Benazir Bhutto,” wrote Dr Rubab Ahmed in a BBC website posting.

A London citizen, carrying initial T K N, said on the same site that “peace in some parts of the world is not possible unless the vague terms such as terrorists or international community prevail without any meaning”.

Another posting, by psychiatrist Faisal Mamsa of Karachi, said: “I hate to say it, I might be condemned or killed, but we need to take extreme security measures to curb whatever the militants are doing.”

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi administration called in the paramilitary forces to assist the police in maintaining peace in the city where mobs damaged public property, besides burning down publicity material displayed by the PPP rival Pakistan Muslim League.

There were also reports of at least six people sustaining injuries in the violence.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rawalpindi Irfan Elahi, when contacted, confirmed that four companies of Rangers, each comprising 120 personnel, would be deployed in Rawalpindi.

However, he denied that orders to “shoot at sight” had been issued. He said no one had been reported killed in the ongoing violence.

Out of the six casualties, two persons, one of them critically injured, were removed to the Rawalpindi General Hospital from the Waris Khan area.

Police said Rizwan Abbasi and Khyzar Hayat were going home after attending the funeral prayers for Shafiq Ahmed, who died in the suicide attack, when they had a brawl with PML activists over some issue. Rizwan and Khyzar were shot and injured allegedly by their political rivals during the brawl.

In another incident, Shahzad Raza was injured after being hit by a stray bullet in Sadi-qabad area.