No headway made as investigators still clueless about motive behind Dr Birbal’s murder

Police have yet to find a lead as they have started investigations into the murder of ophthalmologist Dr Birbal Genani in the Garden area of Karachi. The eye specialist was shot dead on Thursday evening while he was on his way home in a car. A nurse, Quratul Ain, accompanying him was also injured in the shooting.

Initial investigations suggest that the incident was a target killing. The police investigators have started collecting evidence while geo-fencing is also being carried out. The empty shells found at the crime scene have been sent for the forensic examination. The victim’s brother while talking to the media outside his residence in Gulshan-e-Iqbal said Dr Genani had no enmity with anyone as he was a benevolent person.

Dr Yusuf Sanjrani, a close friend of the deceased ophthalmologist, recalled Dr Genani as abrave person who never mentioned any danger.

The eye specialist used to pick up Quratul Ain from Gulshan-e-Iqbal and take her to his clinic every morning at 8am. At 12 noon, the nurse left for Jinnah Hospital, but in the evening both of them used to go back home together. On Thursday too, they were returning home as usual when they were targeted on the way.

Police said the family members of the deceased would register a case after consultations. Meanwhile, Dr Genani’s body has been kept at a mortuary. According to initial investigations, armed assailants targeted Dr Genani after following him. They used a 9mm pistol and fired three shots. Two of the bullets hit the eye specialist and the third hit the nurse.

“It is a high-profile case with a major impact and we are investigating the case from different angles,” said District City SSP Arif Aziz while talking to The News.

“Dr Birbal was a soft target and it is yet to be ascertained who targeted him and why,” the officer said. He added that even this is yet to be ascertained whether the suspects were two or four as footage from CCTV cameras along the route of around 2.5 kilometres from the clinic to the crime scene were being collected.

Dr Genani was 62. The incident took place just before Iftar near Goodluck Hall, Garden. Police said that as they received the information on Thursday, they rushed to the spot where they found a man and a woman lying critically wounded inside a car. The victims were rushed to a hospital for treatment with the help of rescue teams. At the hospital, Dr Genani succumbed to his injuries.

Killing condemned

Expressing serious concern over the targeted killing of Dr Genani in Karachi, medical associations, healthcare professionals as well as people from different walks of life have strongly condemned the attack and demanded that the assailants involved in the killing be brought to justice, adds our correspondent.

Members of the Young Doctors Association (YDA), which had announced a three-day mourning over the killing of Dr Genani, wore black armbands on Friday and held condolence references at different health facilities in Karachi and other cities of Sindh.

The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and other associations of healthcare professionals also condemned the murder and recalled Dr Genani as an honest medical professional who was known for his love and service for the ailing humanity.

PIMA President Dr Abdullah Muttaqi and other office-bearers condemned the gruesome murder of Dr Genani who also served as the senior medical director of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). They said the entire healthcare community was facing an extreme sense of insecurity following recent incidents.

“Dr Birbal Genani was a competent and honest professional known for his integrity and honesty but despite his services to the people of Karachi and rest of Sindh, he was murdered in cold blood, which shocked the entire nation, especially the healthcare fraternity,” Dr Muttaqi said and called for immediate arrest of assailants involved in the recent killings of Dr Genani and other healthcare professionals.

PMA office-bearers also expressed concern over the killing. “We strongly condemn the cruel killing and demand the government provide security to the doctors and bring the culprits to the book. The PMA equally share the grievance of the victim’s family,” Dr Altaf Hussain Khatri, PMA joint secretary, said in a statement issued on Friday.

Meanwhile, YDA Sindh office-bearers said they would not accept such incidents and if killers of Dr Genani and other healthcare officials were not arrested in next few days, they would be compelled to protest and would not hesitate in boycotting healthcare services.