A senior traffic police officer was shot dead while his driver hurt in suspected targeted attack in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area on Sunday evening, according to DSP Sharae Faisal Ali Anwar Soomro.

DSP Faiz Ali Shigri was travelling in a chauffeur-driven official vehicle when armed pillion riders attacked him when the vehicle slowed down near Balochistan Sajji House (restaurant).

The officer and his driver sustained bullet injuries and were transported to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared the DSP as dead.

DSP Soomro told Dawn that the slain officer was posted at Airport as DSP traffic. He was returning home after completing traffic arrangements for chief justice of Pakistan when he was targeted.

The officer further said that it appeared to be an incident of targeted killing.

Police suspect sectarian motive behind murder

Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department official Raja Umer Khattab told Dawn that the killing of the DSP Shigri and Ahmadi man were motivated by sectarian considerations.

He suspected involvement of the same group behind the both incidents.

The CTD official said previously, Al-Qaeda targeted people in Gulistan-i-Jauhar whose members later on joined Islamic State but this gang was busted in 2013.

He revealed that prior to attack on the DSP Shigri, unknown gunmen attacked a vehicle of DSP Traffic Gulberg Zafar Husain near Samama Shopping Centre in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, however, he remained unhurt.