ISLAMABAD, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen on Wednesday shot dead a former senior Pakistani army officer and his driver in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

    Retired Major General Amir Faisal Alvi, who was former chief of the country's commandos Special Services Group (SSG), was heading to his private office in Rawalpindi when two groups of gunmen opened fire on his car near Baharia Town, the News Network International (NNI) news agency reported.

    Alvi and his driver died at the scene and a passerby also succumbed to injuries.

    The NNI quoted police sources as saying that three gunmen, two on a motorcycle and one in a jeep, first stopped Alvi's car and then started firing. The gunmen were following the slain general as he left his house, said the police.

    Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the killing and expressed deep sorrow over the incident.