A doctor was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karachi's Kharadar area early Friday morning, police said.

City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Adeel Hussain Chandio told Dawn that the nature of the killing could not be ascertained as yet.

"It is not yet determined whether it was personal enmity or a robbery attempt," he said.

Eyewitnesses and area residents told DawnNews Dr Zulfiqar Ali was returning home after closing his private clinic, which is located a street away from his residence in Khadda Market, when he was attacked by two men.

The assailants, one of whom held a pistol and the other a knife, started beating up the doctor while he was walking home at around 2am.

When Dr Ali tried to escape and run towards his house, the attackers followed him and opened fire at him before he could enter his house. The doctor was left injured when the bullet hit him in the head.

Ali's family took him to the Civil Hospital, but unsatisfied with the treatment there, later shifted him to a private hospital in Bahadurabad.

A relative of the deceased told DawnNews that the doctor passed away in the morning during treatment.

Rangers personnel visit the site of the attack and collected evidence and testimonies from eyewitnesses.