Well-known lawyer shot dead in Peshawar
Latif Afridi, 79, was killed by a relative, Pakistani media report. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow, urges provincial government to bring the situation under control. The lawyer had repeatedly criticised the military for interfering in politics.
Peshawar (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Latif Afridi, a lawyer, human rights activist, and former president of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association, was shot dead today inside Peshawar High Court. Rushed to hospital, he died from to his wounds on the way.
Afridi was with other lawyers in a courtroom when a gunman opened fire, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Senior Superintendent Of Police Kashif Abbassi said.
The attacker was identified as Adnan Afridi, thought to be related to the victim. According to the police, the attack was due to “personal enmity”.
According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the assailant is the cousin of anti-terrorism judge Aftab Afridi, who was also shot dead last year.
Latif Afridi and some other family members were named in connection with the case, but later acquitted by the anti-terrorism court in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to Reuters, however, the attacker is not related to the murdered lawyer.
The Peshawar High Court Bar Association expressed concern, calling the incident a "security lapse”, wondering how a gunman could have got inside the courthouse.
People are allowed in the High Court only if they show their identity card.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the lawyer’s "brutal killing”.
“I pray that the bereaved family bear this loss with fortitude,” Peshawar. “The worsening law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is alarming”.
The prime minister went on to urge the provincial government to take immediate action to restore calm.
Latif Afridi, 79, was an expert in constitutional law and a staunch critic of Pakistan’s military for interfering in the country’s politics. He had survived previous attacks.
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16/05/2022
