KARACHI: (DNA) – Pakistani philosopher and intellectual Jawaid Bhutto was shot dead in Washington DC on Friday night.

Reports suggest Bhutto was fatally shot outside a convenience store and the attack was driven by a neighbourhood dispute.

DC police said 45-year-old Hilman Jordan, was arrested and charged with murder. Family sources told that the attacker lived on the ground floor of Bhutto’s apartment building. “He [the attacker] was a heavy drinker and was often very rowdy and noisy. Bhutto had recently registered a complaint against him with the building landlord.”

The family said Bhutto was walking to the neighbourhood convenience store when he was shot at close range.

Bhutto, a native of Shikarpur, was the husband of senior journalist Nafisa Hoodbhoy and brother-in-law of eminent Pakistani physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy.

A renowned progressive thinker, Bhutto served as an assistant professor of philosophy at Sindh University before moving to the United States.

His death was widely condoled in Sindh, with politicians, writers and other members of the intelligentsia expressing grief and demanding justice for the aggrieved family.

“It is very hard to believe that our dear friend, philosopher, scholar and a very kind-hearted, humble human has been killed in Washington DC,” said Jami Chandio, a prominent writer and political activist.

Sindh Culture and Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah also issued a statement eulogising Bhutto’s contributions in the literary and cultural sphere.

“Jawaid Bhutto was a progressive and peace-loving human who rendered invaluable services to Sindhi literature and culture. He maintained a deep connection with his motherland throughout his life and always propagated ideals of peace and harmony,” said the minister.