An official of the Sindh Bar Council was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area on Wednesday morning, police said.

Irfan Mehar was targeted by gunmen when he was driving a car near Chappal Plaza in Block-13 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. The attackers waylaid the vehicle driven by Mehar and sprayed him with bullets, causing his death on the spot.

The body of the victim was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Police said further investigation was underway.

Meanwhile, Advocate Naeem Qureshi, former secretary of the Karachi Bar Association, said that Mehar was returning home after dropping off his daughter at school when he was attacked.

He said the deceased was not a lawyer and that he was an officeholder at the SBC.

East SSP Qamar Raza Jiskani said it appeared to be a targeted killing, however, the actual motive would be determined after a thorough investigation.

CCTV footage of the incident making rounds on social media showed that the armed pillion riders shot Mehar at point-blank range.

The murder angered the lawyers' fraternity who boycotted court proceedings at the City Courts.