"We express our sympathies with the people of Pakistan as they mourn the senseless murder of a Qawwali singer Amjad Sabri. Such acts violate the fundamental freedoms of expression and religion and belief," State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference yesterday.
"The arts have long been a forum for new ideas for fighting against intolerance. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the people of Pakistan," Kirby said.
Thousands of tearful mourners, including women and children, yesterday thronged the streets of Pakistan's largest city Karachi and sang the soul-stirring renditions of Sabri as they paid tributes to him.