RAWALPINDI, Jan 24: Unknown assailants gunned down a senior journalist here on Saturday, drawing condemnation from representatives of the journalist community who urged the law enforcers to arrest the killers.

In his complaint to Waris Khan police, Kamal Azfar, the brother of the deceased, Amir Wakeel, 40, stated that his brother was shot dead by unknown men near Committee Chowk in the afternoon.

The complainant said the deceased received two bullet shots in the head and was rushed to District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital where he died.

A large number of journalists gathered at Rawalpindi Press Club to attend his funeral prayers. Later the body of the deceased was taken to his native village in Kohat where his father led the funeral prayers.

Amir Wakeel was working as an editor in a local daily ‘Awami Inqalab’. He leaves behind two children and a widow.

Condemning the murder of the journalist, President of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club Tariq Chaudhry demanded immediate arrest of the killers and safety for the working journalists.

Senior journalist and activist C.R. Shamsi urged the Punjab government to arrest the killers and bring them to book. The government should also announce compensation for the children of the deceased journalist, he said.

Meanwhile Rawalpindi police registered three other murder cases on Saturday.

In the first case, Waris Khan police said two unknown men shot dead Rizwan in a street in Dhoke Khabba when he resisted their move to snatch mobile phone from him.

In the second case, Westridge police booked unknown men for killing Farah Naz, 50, in the area of Qasimabad near Awan Market. The woman received multiple bullet injuries, police said.

In yet another murder case, Saddar Bairooni police recovered the body of a taxi driver who went missing on January 14 along with his cab.

Police recovered the bullet-ridden body of Kazam Shah near Gulshan-i-Kashmir on Chakri Road.