Karachi strike called off

A hard-line Sunni religious party in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi says it is calling off a strike planned for today Wednesday after the authorities promised that hundreds of its detained activists would be released within 24 hours.

The strike had been called in protest against the killing of its leader, Saleem Qadri, who was shot dead earlier this month.

A spokesman for the Sunni Tehrik or Sunni Movement said they had also been assured that those responsible for the killing would be apprehended.

Police in Karachi said a shopkeeper was killed in violence during the one-day strike organised by Sunni Tehrik on Monday, in which most shops, schools and businesses were closed.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service