KARACHI, August 1: A senior lawyer was shot dead and his son critically injured in a suspected targeted attack outside a mosque in Karachi’s upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase 6 area on Friday afternoon, police confirmed.
According to South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Syed Asad Raza, the incident occurred shortly after funeral prayers at a local mosque. Advocate Khawaja Shamsul Islam and his 25-year-old son, Khawaja Daniyal, were exiting the mosque when an unidentified lone assailant opened fire and fled the scene. Both victims were immediately rushed to a private hospital in Clifton, where the senior lawyer succumbed to his injuries.
DIG Raza said initial investigations suggest that the attack may be linked to past enmities. In 2021, a murder case was filed with Boat Basin Police by a complainant whose father was killed. Although Khawaja Shamsul Islam was suspected, insufficient evidence led to the case being classified as ‘A-Class’ (untraced) by the then Investigation DSP Clifton.
In a separate incident in 2024, the same complainant, also an advocate, lodged an FIR alleging that he and Islam were ambushed in Zamzama by 15 to 20 armed men. Khawaja Islam was injured in the attack, which police later reclassified as an extortion case and transferred to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
At the time of Friday’s attack, Islam was reportedly accompanied by a police guard, who was positioned outside the mosque when the shooting occurred. Private mosque security guards have been detained for questioning.
The body of the deceased was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities. Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest, resulting in severe hemorrhagic shock.
DIG Raza has formed a special investigation team led by SSP South to apprehend the perpetrators. The incident has once again raised concerns over the safety of legal professionals, following the fatal shooting of a civil judge and a lawyer in Nowshera earlier this year.
Investigations are ongoing.
