KARACHI: While police launched an investigation into Thursday’s targeted killing of eye specialist Dr Birbal, no breakthrough has so far been made even to ascertain the possible motive behind the killing.

The former head of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s health services was killed and his assistant Quratul Ain wounded in an attack by armed pillion on their car in Garden on Thursday evening.

Officials said that the police conducted geo-fencing of the area and sent spent bullet casings recovered from the crime scene to the police’s forensic science lab.

City SSP (Investigation) Tanveerul Hassan told Dawn: “Investigators have obtained ‘some clues’, but it would be too early to share details at this state.”

Garden SHO Majid Alvi told this reporter that the police had so far not registered an FIR as relatives were waiting for the arrival of the victim doctor’s two sons who lived abroad.

The coffin of the late doctor has been kept at the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth, he said.

The victim’s brother told reporters that Dr Birbal had no enmity with anyone and he was a generous and kind-hearted person.

His friend Dr Yusuf Sanjrani told the media that the slain doctor never talked about any threats to his life.

Police sources said it was Dr Birbal’s routine that every morning he picked his assistant, Quratul Ain, from her home in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and went to his clinic. Later, Quratul Ain went to the NICVD where she worked as a nursing staff and returned to the clinic in the evening.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2023