LAHORE, Nov 1: A doctor was shot dead at his clinic on Wazeer Ali Road near the Race Course on Friday.

Capt Syed Imran Zaidi (retired), 45, had come to his clinic adjacent to his house when a clean-shaved 25-year-old man stormed in, a couple who had visited the doctor told the police. They said the youngster opened fire on the doctor and escaped.

Dr Zaidi was hit in the chest. His family members took him to a hospital nearby, but he died on the way. He is survived by a wife and four sons.

The body was sent to the city mortuary and returned to the family after a post-mortem. A case was registered. Nobody has been arrested so far.

The doctor’s cousin, Ali Abbas Zaidi, claimed that it was a sectarian killing. Police termed the claim premature, although they, too, did not rule out the possibility.

“The doctor had been receiving threats on phone for the last several weeks,” Mr Abbas told reporters.

Cantonment SP Dr Usman told Dawn that there could be three possible motives for the murder, namely sectarianism, personal enmity or terrorist activity near Ramzan.

A member of the investigation team claimed that the murder was motivated by personal rivalry. He said the team had found some letters addressed to the doctor at his clinic. The sender wanted the doctor to discontinue an affair and had threatened him with dire consequences in case of non-compliance, he claimed.

However, when reporters discussed this aspect with neighbours of the doctor, they were told that the doctor was not that kind of person. One Azam said Dr Zaidi was known for helping poor patients and enjoyed a respectable position in the locality.

Meanwhile, the official claimed that the murder weapon was not the kind used by terrorists for sectarian killings.

Further investigations are under way.