One of Pakistan's most famous singers, Amjad Sabri, has been murdered in the southern city of Karachi.

Two gunmen shot the singer in his car in the Liaquatabad area of the city. He died of his wounds on the way to hospital.

"Two riders used 30-bore pistols to shoot Sabri five times. The bullet to the head took the qawwal's life. The attackers took the Hassan Square route to escape," Inspector General Mushtaq Mehar told Dawn newspaper.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which police described as an act of "terror".

Sabri was a famed performer of Sufi devotional music, known as Qawwali. He was the son of the late Ghulam Farid Sabri, singer in the Sabri Brothers band, one of the best-known exponents of Qawwali.

Amjad Sabri
Amjad Sabri was shot dead in the southern city of Karachi YouTube

A mystical form of Islam, Sufism has millions of adherents in Pakistan. In recent years it has been targetted by hardliners who have launched suicide bombings at Sufi shrines.

Dr Farooq Sattar, a leader of the secularist MQM party, told Samaa news website Sabri had complained of receiving death threats after refusing to appear on a television programme.

Sabri's brother was also wounded in the attack, according to local media reports.