Maulana Abdul Waheed Qadri, chief of his own faction of the Tehrik (movement) was gunned down by motorcycle assailants in the eastern Korangi district, police said.

Qadri's murder heightened tension in the strife-torn port city where violence claims several lives everyday.

Maulana Saleem Raza, a vice-president of the rival faction of Sunni Tehrik, was also killed three days ago in an incident which ignited protests and violence.

Pakistan's commercial capital is faced with a severe law and order problem that has left 200 people dead since June and 560 since the start of the year.

The recent spurt in violence is mainly attributed to infighting within the ethnic Urdu speaking Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM). The killing of religious leaders has added a new dimension to it, officials said.