Famed qawwal Amjad Sabri shot dead in Karachi

Karachi - Amjad Sabri, 45, was one of South Asia's most popular singers of the 'qawwali', Sufi devotional music that dates back more than 700 years.

Motorcycle-borne gunmen on Wednesday shot dead an acclaimed Pakistani singer in the busy port city of Karachi, police said, two days after masked men kidnapped the son of a top provincial judge.
Karachi, a metropolis of about 20 million people, is home to Pakistan's stock exchange and central bank and is plagued by political, ethnic and sectarian violence.
Amjad Sabri, 45, was one of South Asia's most popular singers of the 'qawwali', Sufi devotional music that dates back more than 700 years.
Officials said two gunmen shot at the windscreen of Sabri's car as it drove off a bridge in the congested Liaquatabad area of the southern city, and a relative travelling with him was also injured.
"Two attackers riding a motorcycle intercepted his car and targeted Amjad Sabri, who was driving," Sindh police chief Allah Dino Khawaja told Reuters.
Also read: When Amjad Sabri faced blasphemy charges
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
"Amjad Sabri expired on the way to the hospital," police surgeon Rohina Hasan said. "He was shot three times."
Police gave no further details.
Violence is common in Karachi despite a sharp decline in murders since the Pakistani military launched a crackdown two years ago against suspected militants and violent criminals.
 

• Pakistan