Unidentified Motorcyclists shot dead a doctor belonging to the Shia community in Gulshan-e-Iqbal when he was going to Market on Friday.
The 55-year-old cardiologist, Dr Syed Hyder Askari Zaidi, son of Syed Hussain Zaidi, was driving his white Mira car bearing registration number BMS-779 at around 11:45am when he was attacked near Disco Bakery in KDA Market within the limits of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police.
Responding to information, rescuers reached the crime scene and took the victim to a private hospital, where he succumbed to his single bullet injury. Later, his body was transported to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center for an autopsy.
A large number of his family members, colleagues and community people also reached the hospital, shouted slogans against the incident and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.
Police officials also attended the crime scene and inquired about the incident. Police said that the doctor, who was known as Dr Askari, was a cardiologist at a government hospital in the Korangi locality and the tragic incident took place near his residence. According to witness accounts, two men riding a motorcycle carried out the attack. The assailants attempted to stop Dr Askari’s car, but when the doctor tried to speed away, one of the suspects fired at single shot at him and escaped with his accomplice.
Police said they were investigating the incident from two angles – one sectarian and second a robbery bid -- to ascertain the actual motive. “We are not sure about the actual motive behind the incident and we are investigating the case from both angles – sectarian killing and a robbery bid,” Gulshan-e-Iqbal SHO Safdar Mashwani said.
“The witnesses’ statements suggest that it could be a robbery bid; however, we cannot rule out the sectarian killing as the victim belonged to the Shia community and the month of Muharram is around the corner.”
The investigators have collected one spent bullet casing of a 30-bore pistol from the crime scene and sent it to the forensic division of the Sindh police for ballistics cross-matching. The officer said that the police had registered an FIR (No. 477/19) against unidentified persons on behalf of the family and included the section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in it, adding that the police were also looking for CCTV footage to reach the culprits.
Dr Askari is the second doctor to have been killed this week in the city, particularly in District East of Karachi. Earlier, Dr Ayesha who had arrived in the city to attend a wedding ceremony of her relative from abroad was shot dead apparently for putting up resistance to a mugging bid on Sharea Faisal on August 26. The police investigators have failed to trace and arrest the suspects behind her killing.
MWM condemns killing
The Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen strongly condemned the incident, terming it a “targeted killing”. “The Shia genocide in Karachi prior to Muharram-ul-Haram is regrettable,” said MWM leader Allama Baqar Zaidi.
He added that the government and law enforcement agencies should take immediate notice of the incident. “The happening of such an incident prior to Muharramul Haram is likely to escalate sectarianism in the city,” he said. He demanded from the federal and provincial governments to take notice of the killing and apprehend the killers immediately.
Tags:
Murder