A judge ordered the confessed gunman, who killed senior attorney Latif Afridi in the bar chamber of the Peshawar High Court, to remain in police detention for two days on Tuesday.
Latif, the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), was shot six times at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) bar room on Monday. According to the police, the shooting was the result of a family dispute.
Adnan Afridi, the main suspect, was brought before Judicial Magistrate Badar Munir’s court under heavy protection after the police had immediately detained him from the scene of the shooting.
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.
“Suspect’s custody is required for further investigations,” the police official said.
The court accepted the police’s request and remanded the suspect in police custody for two days.
Latif Afridi’s funeral prayers offered in Peshawar
The former SCBA president’s funeral prayers were offered at Bagh-e-Naran in Peshawar’s Hayatabad area amid strict security.
The funeral prayer was attended by PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rasheed Khan, other judges, senior lawyers, politicians and social activists. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Awami National Party leader Iftikhar Hussain, and Jamat-e-Islami leader Inayatullah were also present.
After the prayers were offered, Latif was laid to rest in his hometown.
CJP calls the death of Latif Afrid “a tremendous loss.”
Latif’s murder was seen as a “major loss” by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
During a hearing of a case in the supreme court, CJP Bandial remarked, “Latif Afridi had a terrific personality.”
He described the senior lawyer’s murder as a regrettable incident.
Iftikhar Gillani, a lawyer, was questioned about Latif’s Kohat affiliation.
The CJP was informed by the attorney that he was from the frontier.
The shooting
Former SCBA president Latif was shot dead inside the PHC’s bar room on Monday.
The senior lawyer was moved to the Lady Reading Hospital after the shooting but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The medical facility’s administration said that six bullets were fired at Latif.
Speaking to the media, SSP Operations Kashif 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 detained together with nine other people in the judge’s murder case.
According to information, in April 2021, unidentified intruders attacked Aftab Afridi’s car near the Ambar Interchange while he, his wife, a 1-and-a-half-year-old grandchild, and daughter-in-law were travelling from Peshawar to Islamabad via Swabi.
The SCBA’s then-president, Latif, had, however, denied any involvement in the incident and said that he and his son had been wrongfully accused of being involved. He had additionally informed the authorities that he would work closely with the necessary organisations.
In a press conference, the judge’s family, who claimed to have proof of the lawyer’s role in the murder, rejected the verdict and asked the top court for justice.