Gunmen entered the offices of a Christian welfare organisation in the southern port city of Karachi this morning, killing six people after tying them to office chairs, police and intelligence officials said.
The shooting was the latest in a string of violent attacks against Christians and westerners, who have been increasingly targeted since Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf's decision to crack down on Islamic extremist groups.
The killings occurred at the third-floor offices of the Institute for Peace and Justice, a Pakistani Christian charity that does work in the city. Victims were tied up in chairs with their hands behind their backs before being shot point-blank in the head, according to deputy police chief Tariq Jamil.
Among the dead were three Pakistani Christians and three Muslims who worked at the charity, police said. Four other people were injured, at least one in critical condition with a bullet wound in the head.
It was not clear how many gunmen were involved in the shooting, or which group was behind the attack. By late morning, hundreds of police had cordoned off the 13-story building in a central business district of Karachi.
The Christian group has been in operation for 30 years, working with poor municipal and textile workers to press for basic worker rights, and organizing programs with local human rights groups.