Doctor from Ahmadi minority community shot dead in Pakistan

Chaudhary Abdul Khaleeq, 50, was in his clinic on Abul Ishpahani road when unidentified gunmen walked into the clinic and opened fire, police said.

A homoeopathic doctor belonging to the Ahmadi religious minority was shot dead on Tuesday inside his clinic in Karachi, the latest attack on the community members in the country.

Chaudhary Abdul Khaleeq, 50, was in his clinic on Abul Ishpahani road in Karachi when unidentified gunmen walked into the clinic and opened fire. (Representational Image: Shutterstock)

Chaudhary Abdul Khaleeq, 50, was in his clinic on Abul Ishpahani road when unidentified gunmen walked into the clinic and opened fire, police said.

According to a Ahmadi community spokesperson, it is the second such attack in the same vicinity within a month.

“The clinic was located in a slum area and the doctor used to provide low cost treatment,” SSP Malir, Rao Anwar said.

“He sustained a single bullet wound to his head,” Anwar said, adding, “It looks like a targeted attack.”

The Jamaat Ahmadiyya spokesperson said that earlier in May a member of the same community was gunned down outside his home in a suspected targeted attack in the Metroville-II area of Karachi.

Ahmadis claim to have been subjected to various forms of religious persecution and discrimination in Pakistan.

The largest Ahmadi community in the world is in Pakistan and followers are frequently the target of blasphemy allegations. Legislation framed in 1974 and 1984 bans Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslims.