Pakistan ? Clashes between government supporters and opposition activists flared for a second day Sunday in the country’s largest city, bringing the death toll for the weekend to about 40.

The clashes in the southern city of Karachi were prompted by a judicial crisis that has gripped the country since March 9, when the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, suspended Pakistan’s chief justice for alleged abuses of office. Since then, protesters have frequently taken to the streets to rally against what they see as an attempt by Musharraf to snuff out fledgling democratic institutions and ease his way to another term in office.

On Saturday, the judge, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, who denies the charges against him, was scheduled to speak at a rally in Karachi. But he was prevented even from leaving the airport. The protests soon turned violent as members of the Muttahida Qami Movement, a coalition partner of Musharraf’s known as MQM, exchanged fire with anti-Musharraf demonstrators.

As many as six more people were killed Sunday.