Three shot dead in Pakistani city

Three members of a Pakistani religious group have been shot dead in the southern port city of Karachi.

Police say gunmen opened fire outside a mosque killing three members of the Sunni Tehreek organisation and injuring at least four others.

The ethnic Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which represents Urdu-speaking migrants from India, has been blamed for the attack.

Karachi has a history of violence mostly caused by sectarian tensions.

A senior Karachi police, Mushtaq Shah, says the latest incident has "nothing to do with sectarianism".

He says it could be linked to a row over the collection of donations as part of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Tension

The shooting has raised tensions in the area and police and paramilitary troops have been deployed to maintain peace.

No arrests have yet been made.

Violence linked to sectarian and political rivalry as well as Islamic militants has taken place frequently in Karachi, which is Pakistan's financial centre.

A Sunni cleric, Mufti Mohammed Jamil, was shot dead in the city last month, and twin bomb attacks at a mosque killed five in August.