Tariq Saeed Peshawar
The alleged assassin of the senior lawyer and for President Supreme Court Bar Association Latif Afridi was Tuesday remanded in to Police custody for two days.
Latif Afridi, it may be recalled, was Monday killed in a broad day light in the premises of Peshawar High Court, an incident that had drawn country wide condemnation with the legal fraternity announcing to boycott the courts all over the country on Tuesday.
Police that had said the killing of the former senator Latif Afridi was the result of family feud had also claimed that the assassin Adnan had confessed to the killing of Afridi who received six bullets.
The police Tuesday presented the prime suspect, Adnan Afridi, arrested from the crime scene right after the shooting, before the Judicial Magistrate Badar Munir’s court amid strict security.
The police requested the court to grant physical remand of Adnan for investigations into the murder case.
They apprised the court that the suspect has admitted to “killing” Latif in his confessional statement, citing “personal enmity” as the reason hence his custody is required for further investigations.
The court acceding to the Police request remanded the suspect in its custody for two days. It may be recalled that Latif Afridi was acquitted in a murder case of Swat Anti-Terrorism Court 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.
Aftab Afridi, his wife, a one-and-half-year grandson and daughter-in-law were heading to Islamabad from Peshawar via Swabi when unidentified assailants attacked his car near the Ambar Interchange in April 2021. Latif Afridi, who was SCBA president at that time, had denied his involvement in the incident and had stated that he and his son had been falsely implicated in the case.
The slain judge’s family, however, in a press conference had rejected the verdict and requested the high court for justice, saying they have evidence of the lawyer’s involvement in the murder.In the meanwhile the former SCBA president’s funeral prayers were offered at Bagh-e-Naran in Peshawar’s Hayatabad in the provincial metropolis amid strict security.
The funeral prayer was attended by PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rasheed Khan, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar other judges, politicians and social activists besides large number of members of the legal fraternity. Latif was laid to rest in his hometown.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial termed Latif’ Afridi’s murder a big loss saying Latif Afridi was a great personality. CJP said the assassination of the senior lawyer was an unfortunate incident.