KARACHI: A traffic police official and a member of the Ahmadi community were shot dead in separate attacks here on Sunday evening.

According to officials, men on a motorcycle attacked Deputy Superintendent of Police Faiz Ali Shigri`s chauffeur-driven official vehicle near the Balochistan Sajji House restaurant in Gulistan-iJauhar.

Mr Shigri and the driver suf fered critical injuries and were taken to a private hospital where doctors declared the official dead, Sharea Faisal DSP Ali Anwar Soomro said.

In the other incident, four men on two motorcycles opened fire on Shaikh Sajid Mehmood, 55, a member of the Ahmadi community, when he came out of his home in Kaneez Fatima Society, of f Superhighway, in the Sachal area.

He was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead.

Raja Umer Khattab, an official of the police`s Counterterrorism Department, told Dawn that both the killings appeared to be motivated by sectarian considerations.

He revealed that prior to firing on Mr Shigri, armed men had also attacked the vehicle of Gulberg Traffic DSP Zafar Husain near Samama Shopping Centre in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, in which he remained unhurt.