KARACHI: A traffic police officer wearing a bulletproof jacket was shot dead on Wednesday evening on the National Highway in the Malir area, officials said.

The bullet pierced the head of the officer in uniform, ASI Zulfiqar, who was standing alone around 150 yards from the traffic kiosk near Malir Kala Board, said the Saudabad police.

Karachi-East DIG Munir Ahmed Shaikh said he was fired at from a very close range. “He was either killed while checking a vehicle or following a vehicle,” he said.

DIG Shaikh added that around half a dozen traffic policemen were performing their duty to ensure a smooth flow of traffic on the highway when ‘suddenly’ ASI Zulfiqar left the place and was attacked around 150 metres from the traffic kiosk.

The police investigators collected a spent bullet casing fired from a 0.9mm pistol from the crime scene. The police were probing the exact motive for the murder.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination. Over half a dozen traffic police officials have been killed in targeted attacks in the metropolis in recent weeks.

Published in Dawn October 1st, 2015

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