Motive unclear as doctor killed in Lyari

Personal enmity or robbery resistance were cited as potential motives behind the killing of a doctor in Lyari during the wee hours of Friday. He was the first doctor to have been targeted this year. 

The Baghdadi police claimed that Dr Zulfiqar Ali was on his way home from his clinic - situated a lane behind his residence - when two unidentified men attacked him with a pistol and a knife at around 1:45am.

According to police, he managed to reach his apartment situated on the first floor of Subhanallah Mansion, in Khadda Market, in an injured condition. He was reportedly shot at after reaching his house. 

The police maintained that Dr Ali was stabbed multiple times before being shot in the head. He was taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) in an injured condition and was later moved to a private healthcare facility for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries around five hours later.

An FIR was lodged against unidentified men at the Baghdadi police station by his wife, Saima.

As per Lyari SP Aftab Nizamani, Dr Ali’s wife in her statement to the police maintained that she ran towards the entrance of the apartment when their three-year-old son informed her about Dr Ali’s arrival in an injured condition.

“She claimed that her husband was already injured when she looked outside through the apartment’s door,” the SP said.

He added that, “Saima maintained the attackers, possibly between 20 to 26 years of age, warned her that they will shoot her husband if she did not open the gate.”

The SP further claimed that Saima was about to unlock the door when Dr Ali asked her not to. It was then that one of the attackers fired at her husband and escaped on their motorbike, SP Nizamani added.

The officials suspected that the incident could be a robbery attempt, but assured that the police was taking into account other possible motives, such as personal enmity.

Sharing details of information acquired of the doctor’s personal life, the SP said the victim had married thrice and had divorced two of his previous wives.

“The divorced wives belonged to the Maindhro community from which the doctor himself hailed, but Saima belonged to the Mallah community.” The couple got married a few years ago, he added.

The senior Lyari police officer suspected that his killing could also has been an incident of personal enmity.

City SSP Adeel Chandio claimed that the police has ruled out sectarianism, extortion collection or a terrorist attack as possible reasons of Dr Ali’s killing. He also endorsed SP Nizamani’s suspicions.

However, he said a final statement would be issued upon completion of the probe.

Responding to reports of the police’s late arrival at the crime scene, the SSP rejected the claims saying that he along with a DSP had personally visited and inspected the crime scene.

The SSP clarified that the Baghdadi police station’s SHO was on a three-day leave but the police station’s staff was fully cooperating with the victim’s family for completion of legal formalities.

Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Karachi President, Dr Shaukat Malik, termed Dr Zulfiqar Ali’s killing as a threatening message for the entire doctor community.

In a telephonic conversation with this scribe, Dr Malik lauded the paramilitary force’s efforts in maintaining law and order in Lyari and acknowledged that doctor’s killings had gradually stopped after the start of the Karachi operation.

He said Dr Ali is so far the only doctor to have been killed this year, and hoped that the law enforcement agencies would play their due role in ensuring security of the doctors’ community.