PESHAWAR: Renowned urologist Dr Asif Malik was seriously injured after unidentified assailants opened fire at him in the city’s University Town area last night, hospital and police officials said on Wednesday.

Asif, a pioneer of kidney transplants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was shifted to Peshawar General Hospital (PGH) and was under treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU).

A statement issued by city police stated that an investigation team recovered three empty bullet shells of a pistol from the spot near Asif’s home, adding that a case had been registered on the urologist’s behalf.

“CCTV footage is being obtained, and teams have been assigned the task to arrest those behind the attack,” City Police spokesperson Alam Khan told Dawn.

“Dr Asif Malik is stable,” the PGH, where he offers his services, confirmed in a statement on Facebook.

“The matter is being handled by the relevant authorities, and we are fully cooperating with them,” the hospital said.

It requested the public to respect the privacy of Dr Asif and his family, and urged social media users to avoid spreading unverified information or rumours.

“Any official updates will be shared through our authorised channels only,” PGH said.

According to the Young Doctors Association, Asif was on his way back home when he came under attack near his house in University Town on Tuesday night.

In an audio message, an officer bearer of YDA said Asif’s driver rushed him to the hospital, adding that all his vital organs were safe. “He himself walked and entered the emergency department of the hospital,” he said, adding that the doctor’s condition was satisfactory.

The urologist also served as director of the Institute of Kidney Diseases in Peshawar and was the first head of the Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority (MTRA).

He played a vital role in initiating legal organ transplants in the province and helped private hospitals in establishing renal transplant units in Peshawar.

Asif was a close relative of former KP police chief Malik Naveed and senior KP police official Malik Saad, who embraced martyrdom in a suicide attack in Peshawar in 2007.

Malik Asad, former Kohat nazim and brother of Malik Saad, was also killed in April last year when unidentified persons attacked his vehicle on Rawalpindi Highway.

Over a week ago, a dialysis technician, identified as Mohammad Arif Wazir, was shot dead by unidentified assailants near in the Wana tehsil of Lower South Waziristan district.

On March 18, KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority Director General Kashif Iqbal Durrani was injured when unknown attackers opened fire at him in Peshawar.

In late February, Dr Mehwish Hasnain was shot dead as she was going home after performing duty at a hospital in Kohat, leading to protests by her colleagues.

Additional input by Ashfaq Yusufzai