Karachi
A senior lawyer of the City Courts was gunned down by armed assailants in the Garden police limits on Saturday morning.
SSP Javed Akber Riaz of Sadar Town said that the incident happened near Al-Zainab Plaza Shoe Market in Garden.
“Advocate Sardar Zulfiqar, 58, was a resident of Al-Zainab Plaza. On Saturday, he went to the parking lot so that he could leave for the court. As he reached near his car ADG-174, two armed assailants came up and opened indiscriminate fire and fled. The injured was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The deceased received three bullet wounds on different parts of his body,” the official said.
SSP Riaz said that the deceased’s family had alleged that they had a dispute with DSP Jameel Kiyani some years back and their case is pending in the court. “DSP Kiyani has died and now his son is pursuing the case. The DSP’s son had made an attempt upon Zulfiqar’s life earlier.
However, the advocate escaped unscathed. An FIR was lodged at the Kalakot police station.
The family suspects that the killing is the result of the same enmity. However, further investigation is under way,” the official added.
The deceased, who hailed from Punjab, is survived by a widow and three children. His brother is a serving judge in the Rawalpindi Court.
Meanwhile, lawyers observed boycott both at City Courts and Malir Bar in protest against the killing of their colleague.
As soon as the lawyers came to know about the incident, President Karachi Bar Association (KBA) Mehmood-ul-Hasan immediately put on the notice board about boycotting of court proceedings.
A group of lawyers later marched towards different district courts and asked the court staff to join the strike. Although judges were present in their chambers, the hearing of cases was adjourned for other dates.
Stamp vendors, oath commissioners and other concerned also kept their businesses shut to express solidarity with the lawyers.
The under trial prisoners who were brought from the Central Prison Karachi had to be sent back without the proceeding of their cases.
President KBA Mehmood-ul-Hasan, while condemning the murder of Zulfiqar Malik advocate, demanded of the government to immediately arrest the culprits. He also criticised the government for its failure in controlling the law and order situation, saying target killings have been continuing for a long time but no one was taken to task.
Similar was the situation at the Malir Bar where lawyers did not attend court proceedings.
A large number of lawyers expressed concern over the murder of their colleague and said that they feel unprotected in the prevailing circumstances.
In a separate case, an unidentified man in his thirties was crushed to death in the SITE area. Police said that the deceased was crossing the road near Habib Bank Chowrangi when a speeding car crushed him to death. A case was reported at the said police station.
Meanwhile, two children died and a minor girl was injured when a wall fell on them in North Nazimabad late Friday night. Rimsha, 13 and her brother Yaqoob, four, died in the accident while Uroosa was injured when the wall of an under-construction house collapsed on them in De Silva Town, North Nazimabad, Sharea Noor Jehan police limits.