A leader of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) was shot dead in a suspected targeted attack near Karachi's busy Sakhi Hasan Chowrangi on Monday evening, police and party officials said.

As 40-year-old Abdul Habib, who was driving a Land Cruiser, came out from a street onto the main road, assailants riding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire on him near Serena mobile market and fled, according to Taimuria police.

Habib, who was alone in the vehicle, sustained critical bullet injuries and was transported to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, Additional Police Surgeon Dr Saleem Shaikh told Dawn.

The deceased received multiple bullet wounds, according to the doctor.

A resident of Metroville area, he had recently moved to Gulshan-i-Maymar neighbourhood.

PSP spokesperson Iftikhar Alam told Dawn that the victim was a leader of their party. He had also contested the 2018 elections on a PSP ticket for the Sindh Assembly seat of PS-122.

Police ruled out the possibility of a robbery bid.

“It appeared to be a targeted killing incident,” said Additional IG Karachi Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh.

The Karachi police chief said investigators were looking into the possibility of whether today’s murder is linked with some previous targeted killings of political workers in the city.

'Significant progress'

To a question regarding the recent killings of political workers and policemen in the city, AIG Shaikh revealed that investigators have made "some progress" in unearthing the killers and their possible motive behind the murder of two PSP workers in an attack which took place in Rizvia Society in December last year.

Similarly, he said "significant progress" has also been made in the high-profile murder case of former lawmaker and MQM leader Syed Ali Raza Abidi, who was gunned down in the DHA area, also in December.

“Four persons have been detained in the murder [case] of Ali Raza Abidi who carried out reconnaissance and provided weapons to the shooters,” the city police chief disclosed

He said the killers of Abidi, a former MNA, have also been "identified".

Besides political workers, policemen have also fallen victims to targeted killings in the city recently, triggering anxiety among the citizens.

AIG Shaikh claimed that investigators have made some progress in the murder cases of two policemen, with two suspects having been detained.

Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector General Dr Syed Kaleem Imam took notice of the killing of a "worker of a political party" and sought a detailed inquiry report from the SSP Central, a police spokesperson said.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also took notice of the killing and sought a report from the AIG Karachi. He directed police to take steps for the immediate arrest of the killers.