"The assailants shot him in the head while he was coming out of his office today," police official, Hamid Shakil said.

Hussain, 50, represented Pakistan in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics and won the light middleweight gold medal in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing.

Akram Khan, secretary of the Pakistan Boxing Federation, said: "It is a great loss to Pakistan sports because Abrar was working hard on coaching young boxers as well."

No arrests have been made but police are investigating the motive behind the killing.

Target killings are not unheard of in the Balochistan capital, where separatists and militants frequently attack security forces and Government officials.

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