KARACHI, Jan 9: An octogenarian hakeem, a recipient of the presidential award, was gunned down at his clinic in Federal B Area on Wednesday after the attacker failed to find the victim’s son, a leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami, there on a second consecutive day, police said.

Two men riding a motorbike arrived at the clinic, Barkati Matab, situated in Block-6 of F.B Area, the police said. One of them entered the clinic looking for Mujahid Barkati, but after failing to find him there went into the room of Hakeem Mehmood Ahmed Barkati, 87, and fired at him, the police said.

The attacker escaped with his waiting accomplice. The victim was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Azizabad DSP Saleem Akhtar Siddiqui said the attacker used a 9mm pistol in the shooting.

The police quoted the dispenser as saying that the same suspects had come to the clinic on Tuesday night also, but returned after learning that Mujahid Barkati, a former UC nazim, was not there.

The police were of the opinion that the suspects wanted to target Mujahid but shot at his father after failing to locate him.

The slain hakeem had authored 40 books and was awarded with the presidential award in 2001, says a handout issued by the Jamaat-i-Islami.

His latest book comprising 10,000 pages was near completion, it added.

The deceased has left seven children. His burial has been planned on Thursday when one of his daughters, who is not in the country, is expected to arrive.

‘Sectarian’ attack A private school owner was shot dead in North Karachi in what police described as a ‘sectarian’ attack on Wednesday morning.

Engineer Syed Ali Hyder Jafri, 48, was shot dead in Sector 11-A, North Karachi, after he dropped his wife to a campus of their school, said an official at the Sir Syed police station.

He added that the victim sustained three gunshot wounds in the head. The police shifted the body to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities. The police investigators found two spent bullet casings of a 9mm pistol from the crime-scene.

Only a day ago, a man taking his children to school was killed on sectarian grounds within the remit of the Soldier Bazaar police station.

SP North Karachi said Engr Jafri was a resident of Sector 11-A and owned a school having branches in Azizabad and Incholi.

Following the medico-legal formalities, the body was taken to the Incholi Imambargah where his funeral was held after Zohrain. Later, the body was taken to the Wadi-i-Hussain graveyard for burial.

“It was surly a sectarian killing considering the ongoing spate of the killings in the city,” the SP said.

An FIR (8/2013) was registered at the Sir Syed police station on a complaint of the victim’s bother.

Chairman of the United Private School Management Front said that private schools in the city would remain closed on Friday to protest the killing of Mr Jafri, who was the president of a schools association. Similar announcements were made by the Peak Private Schools Management Association and Private School Management Association here on Wednesday.

MQM activist shot dead A Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist was killed in Orangi Town on Wednesday, police said.

They added that Mohammad Shakeel, 43, was targeted by armed men riding a motorbike near the Star Ground graveyard in Sector 11-½.

The victim was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Hospital sources said that the victim had sustained three gunshot wounds.

The police said that the victim, father of three, was an MQM unit 118 worker and a resident of Shah Waliullah Nagar.

Tension spread in different parts of Orangi Town following the killing.

Woman killed A 22-year-old woman was gunned down at her home in Ali Brohi Goth within the remit of the Ibrahim Hydri police station on Wednesday, officials said.

Her husband, Mujahid aka Fauji, associated with a political party went missing following the murder of Mehwish, police said, adding that they had recently shifted from Landhi Sector 36-B.

The couple had married about four months back.

The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities. After a post-mortem examination, the body was shifted to the Edhi morgue as no one came to claim the body.