PESHAWAR: Unidentified assailants on Wednesday shot dead a retired non-commissioned officer of Pak Army in the limits of Faqirabad police station here.

The slain was identified as Raj Wali, who had retired as subedar from army in November, last year.

ASP Faqirabad Waseem Riaz said the slain left his home to purchase food items for labourers who were constructing his home in Qazi Kilay village.

ASP Riaz said he was returning home when unknown motorcyclists opened fire on him, leaving him injured. He said Raj Wali received three bullet injuries and was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A Faqirabad police station official told Dawn that Counter-Terrorism Department registered an FIR and started investigations.

He said it was incident of targeted killing as the slain had no enmity with anyone, quoting his family.

On May 25, three Frontier Constabulary personnel, including a senior officer, were gunned down by unknown assailants in the same area.

The incidents of targeted killing increased in the provincial capital during the first five months of the current year. City police data shows that number of targeted killings had reached 16, this year, against nine such incidents reported during the same period, last year.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2016