KARACHI, May 30: The lady principal of a private school was shot dead by unknown assailants in Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society on Thursday morning.

Police said that the principal of Formation Public School, Zareen Ismail, aged 35, was walking to school along with her two children from her nearby residence in Block-B, SMCHS. When she was just a few yards away from the school, two unknown youth riding a motorcycle opened fire at her and escaped.

Her two children, aged ten and eleven, who were accompanying their mother, raised hue and cry as their mother fell to the ground.

On hearing about the firing, some staff members of the school rushed to the spot and took away the two children.

A duty officer of the Saddar police station said that the incident took place at 7:55am and the police was informed at emergency number 15 at around 8:10am.

The police shifted the victim to the JPMC where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

However, the morning duty medico-legal officer at the JPMC drew a blank about the body.

The school is owned by the deceased’s husband, Ismail Ali, and Zareen Ismail managed it as the principal, the police added.

The police said that Ismail Ali was in Raiwind attending a tableeghi ijtema. Till the filing of this report, he could not be contacted.

The police was hoping that he might call home as a matter of routine and learn about the incident.

Family sources said that Ismail Ali was also attacked last Ramazan but escaped with multiple bullet wounds.

Ismail Ali returned from London after getting a degree in architecture. Upon his return to Pakistan, he got inclined towards religion, family sources added.

SHOT DEAD: A taxi driver was shot dead during a car-snatching bid near Mewashah Graveyard on Thursday.

Police said that taxi driver Bagh, aged 32, was near the Baba Tajuddin Mazar in Mewashah Graveyard when he was intercepted by two young men who tried to snatch his vehicle (JM-0983). As Bagh resisted, they opened fire at him and fled.

The victim was rushed to the Civil Hospital where he was pronounced dead by the medico-legal officer.

In another incident, a trader was shot dead by three assailants in his house in Ibrahim Hydri in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Police said that Mohammad Saleem, aged 36, was asleep in his house in Ali Akbar Shah Goth, Ibrahim Hydri, when three armed men barged into his house and opened fire at him.

The victim was rushed to the JPMC where he was pronounced dead by the medico-legal officer.

Police said that victim’s wife, Noor Bibi, lodged an FIR and named one Dil Mohammad and two others as suspects.

Police suspected personal enmity as the motive behind the killing.

The victim owned a grocery shop and had five children, the police added.

A suspected bandit was also shot dead by a security guard in Steel Town on Thursday morning.

Police said that two armed men arrived at a petrol pump near Wireless Gate, Steel Town. As they approached the cashier, the security guard opened fire at them.

Consequently, one bandit fell to the ground while the other escaped on a motorcycle, while firing towards the guard.

The security guard, Nazeer Mohammad, received a flesh wound after a bullet grazed his arm.

The bandit was shifted to the JPMC where he was pronounced dead by the medico-legal officer.

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