Pakistan lawyer shot dead by colleague at high court
A top lawyer was murdered at a Pakistan high court yesterday by a colleague who shot him six times while dressed in full judicial robes, police and a witness said.
Abdul Latif Afridi -- former president of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association -- was lounging with coworkers in a break room at Peshawar High Court when he was slain in an apparent grudge attack.
"The killer, a junior lawyer who was wearing his gown, opened fire at close range and then handed himself over to the police," Ijaz Khan, a senior police official in Peshawar, told AFP.
The gunman fired six shots at 79-year-old Afridi's chest from less than a foot (30 centimetres) away, eyewitness and legal assistant Muhammad Rizwan told AFP.
According to Rizwan, as the gunman surrendered to police, he said: "Don't shoot, I had a feud with him and I have taken my revenge."
Afridi -- who also served in the national assembly in the 1990s -- was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to police.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Afridi in a statement as "a seasoned jurist and a brave politician who was known for his righteousness".
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a rugged northwestern province bordering Afghanistan and populated by tribal groups often feuding over land and honour.
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