ISLAMABAD. Mar 2: Three Shi'ite Muslims were gunned down in eastern Punjab province in the latest round of religiously motivated violence sweeping the country, according to news reports Monday, says AP.

Two leaders of a militant Shi'ite group and their bodyguard were ambushed on Sunday night near Jhang, about 200 km southwest of the federal capital of Islamabad, the En-glish-language newspaper. The News. said.

Safdar Ali Sial and Amjad All Sial were ambushed while driving on a narrow country road on the outskirts of Jhang.

Gunmen drove up beside them and opened fire, killing all three of them. The lone survivor. their driver, was taken to hospital where he reportedly is in serious condition.

The victims all belonged to

the Tehrlk-e-Jafria or Movement for Shi’ite Law. The group routinely clashes with militant Sunni groups, particularly the Sipha-e-Sanabah or Guardians of the Friends of the Prophet, which is headquartered in Jhang.

Although no one has taken responsibility for the killings, police officials say they believe it was religiously motivated.

Another report from Karachi says, police swept through this troubled port city on the weekend arresting scores of activists belonging to a militant ethnic party in connection with a shootout that left eight people dead, authorities said Monday.

Most of the estimated 100 people who were arrested belonged to the Haqiqi faction of the Mohajir Qami Movement (MQM) a fractured party representing Indian Muslims who

immigrated to Pakistan 50 years ago.

Police say they suspect the Haqiqi faction of carrying out the February 22 killings that appeared to target memters of a rival faction, named for its exiled leader. Altaf Hussein.

Among the dead were two young girls caught in the crossfire while they played in the street.

The police sweep was conducted over the weekend. Heavily armed police, wearing bullet proof vests and brandishing their automatic rifles, kicked in doors of suspected hideouts, raided faction offices and burst into homes to arrest people.

The police action sparked sporadic protests Sunday in Karachi as bands of young boys, believed to be members of the Haqiqi faction, blocked roads and set tires on fire. There were no injuries in the protests.