Ex-SCBA President Lala Abdul Latif Afridi advocate killed in firing incident in Peshawar
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD, Jan 16 (SABAH): Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Lala Abdul Latif Afridi Advocate was killed after he was shot six times at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) bar room on Monday.
The senior lawyer was moved to the Lady Reading Hospital of Peshawar but the facility said that the senior lawyer was dead on arrival. The hospital administration added that six bullets were fired at Afridi. The attacker fired 9 bullets on Lala Abdul Latif Afridi Advocate, out if which six hit him.
SSP Operations Kashif Abbasi said that attacker Adnan Afridi s/o Abdul Sami Afridi has been taken into custody from the crime scene.
The police are investigating how did the gunman managed to get inside the high court premises despite the security.
The SSP said that it seems a matter of personal enmity between the two families while further investigations are underway.
When asked about the security arrangements at the high court, the police official said they are looking into it and action will be taken if any lapse was found.
It may be noted that Latif Afridi was acquitted in a murder case of Swat Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Aftab Afridi and his three family members a few weeks ago.
He was booked along with nine others in the case for the judge’s assassination.
As per details, Aftab Afridi, his wife, a one-and-half-year grandson and daughter-in-law were enroute to Islamabad from Peshawar via Swabi when unidentified assailants attacked his car near the Ambar Interchange in April, 2021.
However, Latif Afridi, the then-SCBA president, had denied his involvement in the incident and said that he and his son had been falsely implicated in the case. He had also assured the authorities of fully cooperating with the relevant agencies.
The judge’s family, however, in a press conference rejected the verdict and requested the high court for justice, saying they have evidence of the lawyer’s involvement in the murder.
On the other hand, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association termed the incident a “security lapse” and questioned how a man with a weapon managed to reach the bar room. The Peshawar High Court Bar Association has announced strike today (Tuesday) and announced to not appear in courts.
It is pertinent to mention that the PHC bar room is located inside the premises of the high court. Tight security is regularly deployed at the entrance of the PHC and people are only allowed to enter upon showing their identity cards.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the murder of former President of Supreme Court Bar Association Abdul Latif Afridi in Peshawar.
In a statement, he said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should give exemplary punishment to those behind the terrorist incident.
The Prime Minister paid glowing tributes to the services of the senior lawyer saying Abdul Latif Afridi throughout his life waged a struggle for rule of law, democracy and human rights. He said this struggle will continue.
Commiserating with the bereaved family, the Prime Minister prayed for the departed soul.
Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari condemned the murder of Afridi and said he was a strong supporter of democracy and a staunch opponent of extremism.
“The killing of martyr Abdul Latif Afridi is very unfortunate,” the PPP leader said in a tweet.
Meanwhile Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan also strongly denounced the murder of Abdul Latif Afridi.
He expressed concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the perpetrators of the heinous crime should be given the strictest punishment according to the law.
Federal Law Minister Senator Chaudhry Azam Nazir Tarar Advocate, condemned the murder, and also questioned the law and order situation.
Meanwhile, former SBCA president Chaudhry Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon expressed shock at the murder of the senior lawyer and said Afridi had always raised his voice for people deprived of rights.
“He was a part of the students union in his young days and later he joined the ANP,” Bhoon said in an interview with Geo News, adding that the slain lawyer had also suffered tough times during martial law in ex-dictator Ayub Khan’s tenure.
The ex-SCBA president said Afridi was a strong advocate of democracy. “He resisted all anti-democratic forces throughout his life.”
Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani also condemned the murder of the lawyer.
Sindh Bar Council condemned the murder and announced a boycott of the court proceedings across the province.