The suspect had pretended to be a lawyer to gain entry to the court premises
A prominent Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist known for his criticism of both the military and Islamist militants was shot dead today in a court in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, police said.
Abdul Latif Afridi, a progressive political leader, died after being shot inside Peshawar High Court #RIP pic.twitter.com/9WbxRTKM78
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) January 16, 2023
Abdul Latif Afridi, a former president of the bar association of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, was shot multiple times by what appeared to be a gunman at the Peshawar court premises, police official Kashif Abbasi told Reuters.
“We arrested the culprit at the scene of the crime,” he noted, adding that the suspect had pretended to be a lawyer to gain entry to the court premises.
He has been named as Adnan Sami Afridi, who is not related to the deceased Afridi.
The defendant did not try to flee after the killing, lawyers told the court.
mumtaz قانون دان عبدالطيف عفریدی Advocate قاطلینا عرد من جن نقل جلیدی, may God forgive him
Latif Afridi#LatifAfridi pic.twitter.com/dhiJiPNu5J
— Muhammad Amir (@AmirAfridiii) January 16, 2023
Although there is a strong police presence at the Peshawar court, lawyers are not physically searched upon entry. Security at the court had already been called into question, particularly after a teenager shot and killed a Pakistani-American citizen on trial for blasphemy inside the courtroom in 2020.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Afridi’s killing and expressed regret.
The well-known political activist and human rights defender has been a vocal critic of the alleged interference of the powerful military in Pakistan’s politics, as well as of Islamist militants.
RES-EMP
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