KARACHI, March 6: An activist of the Awami National Party was shot dead near Essa Nagri within the remit of the Aziz Bhatti police station on Tuesday, police said.

They said that two armed motorcyclists intercepted a van on Sir Shah Suleman Road near Hasan Square, opened fire on the driver and rode away.

The van driver, Bacha Zada, 33, sustained two bullets wounds to the head and died on the spot. The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Aziz Bhatti SHO Kansan Dean said that the victim was a resident of North Nazimabad’s Omar Farooq Colony and working as a driver of a private contract service van of the PIA.

He said that the assailants chased him and when he reached Essa Nagri near Hasan Square, they targeted him.

The police said that the victim’s elder brother was also a member of the ANP. The victim, father of four, hailed from Swat.

After learning about the killing, a large number of ANP workers reached the hospital, chanted slogans and staged a protest outside the JPMC mortuary over the killing.

Till late at night, no FIR regarding the killed was lodged at the Aziz Bhatti police station.