KARACHI, May 6: Principal of a government institute, his driver and peon were shot dead in an ambush in Al-Falah, Malir, on Monday morning.

Police and witnesses said official Suzuki Hi-Roof (GS- 5062) carrying Syed Zafar Mehdi Zaidi, 50, Principal of the Government Jamia Millia Polytechnic Institute, his driver and peon, came under attack 500 yards from the institute where the driver had slowed down to take a turn as the road was submerged by stinking water.

As a result, Zaidi suffered bullet wounds and died instantaneously. His driver Mir Zaman, 49, and peon Mukhtar, 54, also suffered bullet wounds and were taken to a nearby private hospital where they were pronounced dead. Later, they were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for postmortem examination where the hospital sources said Zaidi suffered two bullets, and his driver and peon received four bullets each.

The Rangers, posted at the institute, reached the spot after hearing the gunshots and shifted the victims by Edhi ambulances to a nearby private hospital first and later moved them to the JPMC.

Police, who also reached the spot later, said three youths were apparently waiting for the arrival of Zaidi near Kashmiri Eating House just 500 yards from the institute. The youths, armed with sophisticated weapons and their faces veiled, sprayed Zaidi’s vehicle with bullets from different directions and fled the scene on their motorcycle. The police found eight empty bullets at the spot.

Karachi DIG Tariq Jamil said: “It is an act of terrorism. However, we have to work out whether or not it is a sectarian- motivated incident.”

However, a senior staff member of the Jamia Millia College, on condition of anonymity, said: “The principals of the two educational institutions in the same premises, had been receiving threatening calls for the past some days.”

He expressed ignorance whether the two principals informed the police or any other law enforcement agency about the threatening calls.

The staff of the Government Jamia Millia Degree College, located on the same premises on which the Government Polytechnic Institute is, told Dawn, that Zaidi, resident of the staff town of the college in Shershah, might have picked up peon Mukhtar on his way to the institute.

Zaidi had taken charge of the college some three years back, his colleagues said.

A visit to the Government Jamia Millia Polytechnic Institute after the incident showed that the two institutions wore a deserted look as the classes were suspended for three days to mourn the death of the principal, according to a notice displayed at the institution’s notice board.

Earlier on Feb 6, the Principal of Superior Science College, Prof Syed Azhar Husain Zaidi, 58, and his son, Syed Ashar Husain, 26, travelling in their car (W-4272) were intercepted at the college gate by two armed men who sprayed their vehicle with bullets and escaped.

They were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where they responded to the treatment.