Leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Farooq Sattar claimed on Wednesday that slain Ali Raza Abidi was receiving death threats.

Abidi, a former MQM-P lawmaker, was shot outside his residence in Khayaban-e-Ghazi neighbourhood of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Tuesday night. Unknown assailants shot the former MNA as soon as he disembarked from his vehicle outside his residence. Abidi was shifted to PNS Shifa Hospital in critical condition where he succumbed to his wounds.

“I was told by authentic sources that Abidi was under threat. There should be an investigation on why such a high profile personality was not given security,” Sattar said. 

“There were two policemen deployed on his security for elections, both of them were withdrawn after the polls.”

Sattar said that the killers of the former MNA should be exposed, and regretted that the city lost an educated voice.

Abidi's death comes days after two workers of the Pak Sarzameen Party were gunned down in the city's Usmania Society. It is noteworthy that Abidi was lately involved in efforts to reconcile the dispersed factions of the MQM.

Abidi was elected as a member of the National Assembly (MNA) on the MQM's ticket in the 2013 general elections. However, he later joined the Pakistan faction of the party. He resigned from his MNA post in November 2017 citing "political and personal reasons".

The resignation had come days after Abidi announced to quit the MQM-P after it entered into an electoral alliance with the PSP.

Abidi, however, rejoined MQM-P in December 2017, before finally leaving the party in September this year.