Latif Afridi, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), was shot dead inside the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday in what police claimed was a case of family strife. He was six times shot.
After the shooting, the senior attorney was transported to the Lady Reading Hospital, where he was later declared dead. According to the hospital’s management, Latif was struck by six bullets.
According to the police, the assailant, identified as Adnan Afridi, was in their custody.
Speaking to the media, 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 manage 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.
Abbasi said the killing seemed to be an upshot of a blood feud between the two families; however, further investigation was underway.
When asked about the security arrangements in the high court, the police official said they were looking into it and action would be taken if any lapse was found.
It may be noted that Latif was acquitted in a murder case by 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 of 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.
Latif, the then-president of the SCBA, had, however, denied any involvement in the incident and claimed that both he and his son had been wrongfully accused. He had also promised the authorities that he would work closely with the appropriate authorities.
The judge’s family, on the other hand, rejected the verdict and asked the high court for justice during a press conference, claiming they had proof of the lawyer’s involvement in the murder.