Indian poets Manzar Bhopali and Iqbal Ashar were among those who had a narrow escape when unidentified gunmen attacked a ‘mushaira’ in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, one of the poets said.

“We were just outside the venue of the mushaira in Clifton area of Karachi on Sunday night when the firing started. People began running in panic and we had to take cover for some time before we were escorted to safety by the organisers and the police,” said Manzar Bhopali, an Urdu poet from Bhopal.

At least one person was killed in the attack that was carried out by about a dozen gunmen. Political rivalry is believed to have been behind the attack, sources said.