Life inched back to normalcy on Saturday in most parts of Pakistan, barring the southern Sindh province, following violent protests against the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto [Images] that claimed nearly 50 lives and damaged property worth billions of rupees.

However, people across the country grappled with severe shortage of food, fuel and medicines as most markets and businesses remained closed for the third day.

People made a beeline for neighbourhood grocery and vegetable stores that opened this afternoon though shortages of milk were reported from many places.

Interior ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said 38 people were killed and 53 injured in the protests but other reports suggested the toll was higher.

Anwar Kazmi of the reputed NGO Edhi Fundation said that its volunteers had recovered 40 bodies across Pakistan and ferried 450 injured to hospitals.

Four rioters were shot by the police on Saturday at Lyari in Karachi, where the PPP has many supporters, while a PPP worker was gunned down by unidentified persons in Bhutto's hometown of Larkana.

Two persons were shot by the police during a protest near Hyderabad while two more bodies were recovered by security forces in the same city.

"The overall situation is satisfactory and barring Sindh, no untoward incidents have been reported from most parts of the country," Cheema said.