ISLAMABAD. June 5: Pak istanl Premier Benazir Bhutto has adopted a hardline over the unrest in Karachi at the risk of provoking fresh violence in the city over the coming days, reports AFP.

But the country's powerful army . the final arbiter in the tense game, has remained obstinately silent on the explosive question.

Two players are face to face in the standoff Benazir. 41. In power in Islamabad since October 1993. is a native of the Sindh, the southern province where Karachi is located.

Against her. Altaf Hussain, the charismatic head of the "Mohajirs". the Urdu-speaking immigrant community that came from India after partition in 1947, that make up the majority of the 10 to 13 million inhabitants of Karachi. '

Last week Benazir raised the stakes by closing the door to all compromise over the ethnically sensitive issue.

She said there will be no political dialogue until the violence. which has left 600 dead in Karachi since the beginning of the year ends, and until the MQM (Mohajir Quaint Movement). representing the Moha-Jtrs lays down its arms.

But Hussain who faces sev- • era! charges. Including mur der. incitement to terrorism, kidnapping and torture — has warned that there will be further violence tn Karachi if the "repression and murder of Mohairs continues."

From London where he lives in exile, he launched a call fpr a series of strikes beginning June 11. which Karachi'ites fear' will coincide with a new escalation of violence.

The question now is which of the two will blink first, a diplomat said.

The 15.000 paramilitary troops and 23.000 police in the city have Indeed come down hard on the MQM with

hundreds of activists being put behind bars. Accusations of torture and mistreatment against them are rife.

But armed confrontations in the strife-torn city have become steadily more spectacular. with the Incidents taking on the appearance of a full scale urban guerilla war.

Two police stations were attacked last week with rocket launchers while a ' booby-trapped car exploded neai8 the Sindh -provincial assembly. Ev-» ery day. newspapers highlight a litany of violent deaths.

Altaf Hussain has proved that he commands an undivided power over the Mohajirs. if Altaf says sleep a million Mohajirs will sleep if he says vote, a million Mohajirs will vote, a Karachi based Journalist said.

Hussain's aimed — to secure eventually real power for the Mohajirs in Karachi Pakistan's powerhouse and the country's main port — its Jugular vein.

But the question for him now is how far he should go in the pursuit of Ms ideal.

' He could paralyse the whole of Pakistan, a diplomat said, adding "all he would have to do Is order his activists to blockade the unloading and transport of .oil to the rest of the country."

If this happened — the army, the guarantor of security in the strategic game, and the indispensable Joker in any political establishment here — would be forced to intervene.

"The army would then have a choice either ft could get rid of Benazir or it could crush the MQM" a diplomat here said.

Analysts say that it is equally clear that Benazir Bhutto — a Sindhi and therefore playing both judge and accused in the eyes of the Mohajir is not the most appropriate prime minister to settle the problem of ethnic violence in Karachi.